A poor or dull diet has a significant effect on children's behaviour, mood and concentration. In addition, as a girls' school, we are all too aware of the destructive impact of idealised body shapes that are promoted in magazines and on social media sites.
Food matters, and we take it seriously.
Unlike many boarding schools, we have House-based kitchens and dining rooms, rather than a central dining hall. Our highly experienced Catering Services Manager and a team of 80+ staff look after ten kitchens in total, all of which have exceptional 5* food hygiene ratings.
The department uses wholesome fresh foods for main meals and the chefs are skilled and trained to a high level. Healthy eating is promoted as part of a normal daily diet and lifestyle. The department caters for all diets - vegetarian, Halal, gluten free, lactose free, nut free or any food intolerance diets.
We’re really lucky with the catering... Each house has their own head chef. One night a week, we have something called ‘House Choice’ which is where we’re allowed to say whichever meal we’d like and the chef will make it for us.
Valentina, Sixth Form
Freshly made main course dishes are cooked from raw ingredients, including Red Tractor certified meat, free range local eggs, and, where possible, UK produced vegetables. The use of frozen foods limited to items such as potato accompaniments, peas and sweetcorn, when they appear on the menu. Fresh vegetables, salads and fruit are available daily, as are regular tea time favourites, such as homemade cakes.
All Houses have the same weekly menu and the Catering Services Manager regularly meets with Housemistresses and the girls to discuss what they would like to see on the menu. One of our popular days is 'House Choice', where the House can choose the evening main and desert with or without the help from their head chef. Popular choices have recently included freshly made breaded chicken strips, spicy potatoes, sweet potato fries, duck wraps, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, with many pasta and vegetarian dishes now also making their mark!
We encourage feedback and suggestions and are regularly involved in events with various societies where the chefs work with the students to help produce food from their home countries. Both College and the Houses hold regular events throughout the year including formal dinners, socials, Christmas events, themed meals (ie Chinese New Year, St David's and St George's Days, Nigerian Independence Day and the Thai Festival of Water), Summer BBQs and picnics for the whole school or year group events.
