School dinners ... PLEASE

After a rocky start, HM (4) is settling in school. Thirty four-year-olds is a lot and our school is handling the larger credit crunched intake very, ahem, creatively. The first week HM went mornings (9 - 12). The following week afternoons (1 - 3). This week she goes mornings, and gets to stay for lunch.

Therein lies the next hurdle. She doesn't want school dinners, she wants a packed lunch.

School dinners are healthy, good and affordable (thank you Jamie Oliver). I really don't want to be buttering ham sarnies and washing grapes in between the brushhairgetdressedeatbreakfast out-the-door palava. More importantly, I most likely don't have anything in the fridge suitable for a packed lunch (parmesean cheese and limp carrots?) I pleaded with her to try school dinners.

Her two older sisters (5 and 7) very kindly helped me on my campaign. They are school dinner converts (after rejecting mummy's creative lunches).

"You get really good desserts with really, really good icing."

"The cakes are better than mummies."

"The dinners are hot. Not too hot though."

"You don't want one of mummy's weird sandwiches, DO YOU?"

But is was the mention of fish and chips on Friday that piqued her interest.

Why did she hesitate?

"I'm too shy to talk to the dinner ladies."

What do you do for lunch?

Photo credit: downing street