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Catering - school meals

Providing around 50,000 meals a day to nursery, infant, junior and secondary aged children, we are the largest education catering provider in Derbyshire.


We're very proud of our service and have achieved the Soil Association Food for Life Catering Mark Silver Accreditation in primary schools and the Bronze Catering Mark in all secondary schools.

The award means that we use local, seasonal and fresh ingredients which are free from trans fats, harmful additives and are not genetically modified. We only use UK Farm Assured meat which is better for animal welfare, sustainable sources of fish and free range eggs.

All our menus are created using the School Food Standards as set out by the government and adhere to strict nutritional guidelines so you can be assured that your child is receiving a high quality meal.

Our menus are on a 3-week cycle which changes every 6 months. New dishes and recipes are trialled by our school catering staff and children before they are added to the new menu. This ensures that children are receiving a variety of meals that reflect the food served at home.

Prices

Primary meals £3.25

This includes a main meal, dessert and a drink, which is excellent value for money. Most schools offer 2 choices of main meal or a jacket potato, vegetables, salad, fresh fruit, bread and drinking water are freely available every day. Themed lunches are offered on a monthly basis for primary schools to create a fun eating experience and to build interest in the food offering.

View the latest primary school menu.

Secondary meals £3.55 (meal deal price)

The meal deal price includes a main meal, a dessert and a drink. Secondary schools operate a café system where items can be purchased individually, so the total cost of a meal can vary. A selection of hot and cold items are available at breakfast, break and lunch time. Payment is mostly cashless, either by pre-payment card or biometric methods.

The free school meal allowance for secondary students is automatically credited to their account enabling them to take advantage of the daily meal deal. If the full meal allowance is not used up daily, any surplus will be lost - it will not roll over to the next day. However, it can be can be topped up by parents if required.

View the latest secondary school menu.

Medical diets

We're happy to cater for medical diets for your child. Please ask at school for a form to apply. You'll need a medical referral or a letter from their health care professional.

Your school cook or caterer will meet with you to discuss your child's individual needs and a bespoke menu will be created.

Health, safety and hygiene

We have a robust health and safety system in place with risk assessments to protect all our customers and staff, to ensure a safe working environment.

The Food Standards Agency food hygiene ratings are very important to us. Almost all of our kitchens hold the 5-star mark.

We employ a team of professional trainers who are extremely experienced and highly skilled to deliver nationally recognised training by Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC).

Our catering service has emergency contingency meal provision. If a kitchen has to be closed the food is provided from a neighbouring school ensuring the children always receive a meal.

Recruitment

We're always looking for school catering assistants. No experience necessary as full training will be provided.

Please see our jobs or tel: 01629 533190.

Contact us

email: cs.catering@derbyshire.gov.uk

Tel: 01629 536704

Derbyshire County Council
Derbyshire Catering Services
Stable Block
County Hall
Matlock
Derbyshire
DE4 3AG