St Cedd's School Achieves Food for Life Served Here Bronze Award

A Food for Life Served Here Bronze Award has been awarded to St Cedd's School by the Soil Association in recognition of the School's commitment to serving fresh, local and healthy food.

Following inspection, the lunchtime meals served at the preparatory school on New London Road in Chelmsford meet the Food for Life Served Here standards by serving meals that go beyond meeting the School Food Standards. The School ensures that its pupils, aged 3-11, are being served healthy, nutritious meals that are locally and ethically sourced where possible, and comply with national nutrition standards.

All meals at St Cedd's School are made from ingredients that are free from undesirable additives, colouring, sweeteners and trans fats. By using local suppliers such as Dunmow-based butchers Traymoor, the School sources fresh food whilst reducing food miles. It incorporates seasonal ingredients into its menus and ensures all eggs come from free-range hens, no endangered fish is used and meat can be traced back to the farm, which are all certified to UK welfare standards.

Parents can be reassured that meals served to pupils in Food for Life Served Here accredited schools are a minimum 75% freshly prepared. Catering Manager, Mrs Yvonne Williams, who has worked at St Cedd's School for 12 years, says: "We have always prided ourselves in serving home cooked, freshly prepared meals to around 430 pupils and staff each day providing a variety of different dishes from a traditional roast dinner to the pupils' favourite dish of macaroni cheese. We are delighted to have received the Award in recognition of the high standard of food we serve at St Cedd's School.”

As well as ensuring pupils are provided with nutritious meals each day to fuel their development, both physically and mentally, the School is committed to teaching pupils about healthy eating and this education stretches beyond the dinner hall. The School has its own vegetable patches where children grow produce, which the catering staff gladly prepare and serve for lunch, whilst Upper School pupils can attend a lunchtime Eco Club and enjoy visiting the School's sponsored apple trees at Lathcoats Farm, returning with apples for the rest of the School.

Mr Matthew Clarke, Head at St Cedd's School on New London Road in Chelmsford, says: "Healthy bodies equal healthy minds and I am delighted that our commitment to providing nutritious food for the children has been recognised in this way. The children have a growing understanding of the journey that their food goes on, from farm to fork, and enrichment activities such as these are integral to our commitment of providing a holistic education for our children."

Bryn Hamer, Head of Business Development at Food for Life, says: "We are thrilled that St Cedd's School has achieved the Bronze Food for Life Served Here Award. We are impressed with their dedication to providing fresh, sustainable meals – particularly as our inspection had no suggested improvements for them!

"Involving school pupils and staff in their school food menu is crucial to improving uptake and an understanding of what good food means. St Cedd's School collect feedback each half term in their school Food Forum meeting and we are excited to see how their feedback shapes their menus going forward.

"Sourcing local food, wherever possible, is a key part of the Food for Life Served Here Award, and we are delighted that the team source potatoes from Braintree and use Essex strawberries in season. Delicious!" To find out more about Food for Life, visit www.foodforlife.org.uk.