News Release

9th December 2005

SCHOOL DINNERS

When Staffordshire Schools Dinner Lady, Trish Neilson, based at King Edward VI School in Lichfield wrote to Michael Fabricant to say how "demoralised and feeling very down" dinner ladies are feeling and inviting Michael to a School dinner, how could he refuse?

Trish Neilson wrote "Jamie Oliver and Ruth Kelly", the Secretary of State for Education, "have managed to do in one fail swoop more harm to school meals than anything I can remember in the 23 years I have worked in school meals. To paint everyone with the same brush is so unfair.

"In 2003, Ofsted rated Staffordshire the best school meals service in the country. Mr Oliver made inquires to do his TV series with us. We did healthy eating 10 years ago. But do the likes of us get a mention? Oh no! And, by the way, King Edward's has never had vending machines and never will!"

So Michael visited the School this lunchtime (Friday 9th December) and enjoyed a good school dinner after meeting dinner ladies and some of the students. "What is clear from my visit is that Jamie Oliver should have come to Lichfield to see best practice in action." Michael says. "The Staffordshire School Meals Service has offered healthy eating options for years and even more conventional school meals options - such as chips - are cooked in as healthy a way as possible. Vegetables are sourced from local growers and bread is baked on the spot. And the children look all the more healthy for it.

"I shall be inviting Ruth Kelly to visit King Edward's to see for herself" Michael adds.

And what did Michael eat for his school dinner? "Well, I must be honest. I didn't go for the healthy option. I could have had a very attractive salad. But I went for cod and a baked potato smothered in baked beans followed by treacle sponge and custard! It was a cold day and I needed warming up" he explains.