Jamie's School Dinners
Encyclopedia
Jamie's School Dinners is a landmark four-episode documentary series broadcast on Channel 4
in the UK
from 23 February to 16 March 2005. The series was recorded between Spring to Winter 2004, in which it featured TV chef Jamie Oliver
attempting to improve the quality and nutritional value of school dinners at a typical British school, Kidbrooke School
in the London Borough of Greenwich
— a goal which ultimately led to a broader campaign (called Feed Me Better) to improve school dinners throughout Britain.
, Oliver first encountered the school's seemingly fearsome head dinner lady, Nora Sands. Although the two clashed frequently over matters from kitchen technique to workload, Nora eventually became Jamie's most ardent supporter throughout the series and the campaign.
Oliver had his work cut out for him: firstly, the daily budget for school dinners was a mere 37 pence per child. Secondly, the students at the school were so used to eating processed junk food (such as deep fried meat products and chips
) that Oliver faced a student rebellion when he banned junk food
from the school. Thirdly, Oliver's unconventional ingredients and meal ideas startled the dinner ladies, increased their workload dramatically, and exceeded the allocated budget.
" for dinner ladies in the borough, roping in the catering division of the British Army
to demonstrate how to cook large amounts of food quickly and efficiently.
had the highest rate of health problems among school children in the country. Oliver visited a primary school in Peterlee
, and realised that part of the problem with getting children to eat healthier food was the food they were eating at home. He visited a young boy's family and convinced them to try a healthier home-cooked menu for a week.
of his new menu. He produced an education kit, and recruited children to work in the kitchen, demonstrating to them exactly what went into chicken nuggets, and teaching them to identify vegetables.
As the campaign gathered momentum, gaining increasing public support, Oliver approached members of the government, to campaign for increased funding for ingredients and staff wages in school canteens.
promised to take steps to improve school dinners shortly after the program aired. 271,677 people signed an online petition on the Feed Me Better website, which was delivered to 10 Downing Street
on 30 March 2005. Certain junk foods (such as the notorious Bernard Matthews "Turkey Twizzlers" much derided on the show) were banned from schools by their local borough or county council. The Department for Education and Skills created the School Food Trust
to provide support and advice to improve the standard of school meals.
(which sold junk food and snacks), that she wasn't being paid for the extra hours, and that she hadn't seen any of the promised money. The end-of-year deficit is between £12000 and £15000 (the school management declined to be precise, on the advice of the local council), the children are slipping back into their old habits, and Jamie's new menu is losing popularity.
In response, Jamie organises a 'Junk Amnesty' wherein the children exchange their snacks and unhealthy food for tokens which can then be redeemed for healthier meals at a kiosk Jamie sets up in their playground.
Jamie then travels to Lincolnshire, where most of the schools have decommissioned their kitchens to save money. He pioneers a project that connects the schools to local pubs, restaurants, and hotels, and to local farmers. Produce would be sourced locally, cooked, and then taken to nearby schools by taxi or volunteer drivers. In order to make the project viable, he has to convince 90% of the local parents to participate.
A pilot scheme is started to provide Theddlethorpe
and Saltfleetby
primary schools in Lincolnshire
with hot meals, with the help of a local pub. However, there are problems. Nora has hygiene concerns regarding the pub kitchen, and the pub cook has been altering the recipes in an attempt to save money, which Jamie remedies by introducing him to a local supplier.
Initial take-up is good, following a demonstration to parents of a terms'-worth of junk food that their children eat (a plastic mat with a pile of chips (2 binfuls), saturated fat, Coke, burgers, with a garnish of crisps and sweets), and a brief speech at the school's Easter service.
To spread the word, Jamie organises a fête for local schools, suppliers and caterers in Lincoln Castle
. There he encourages connections between parents, schools, and food industry representatives. The event ('Hot Dinners For Imps') is a resounding and overwhelming success, and garners support from the local council.
, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills
, and Prime Minister
Tony Blair
, Jamie secures promises of an additional £280M for 3 years, a trust to allow schools without kitchens to build, a pledge to consider a series of training kitchens across the country, and creation of a voluntary code of conduct concerning advertising of junk food to children
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 23 February to 16 March 2005. The series was recorded between Spring to Winter 2004, in which it featured TV chef Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
attempting to improve the quality and nutritional value of school dinners at a typical British school, Kidbrooke School
Kidbrooke School
Kidbrooke School opened in 1954 as the first purpose-built comprehensive school in Britain. The school is located on Corelli road and near the Kidbrooke area of the London Borough of Greenwich...
in the London Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
— a goal which ultimately led to a broader campaign (called Feed Me Better) to improve school dinners throughout Britain.
Kidbrooke School
At KidbrookeKidbrooke School
Kidbrooke School opened in 1954 as the first purpose-built comprehensive school in Britain. The school is located on Corelli road and near the Kidbrooke area of the London Borough of Greenwich...
, Oliver first encountered the school's seemingly fearsome head dinner lady, Nora Sands. Although the two clashed frequently over matters from kitchen technique to workload, Nora eventually became Jamie's most ardent supporter throughout the series and the campaign.
Oliver had his work cut out for him: firstly, the daily budget for school dinners was a mere 37 pence per child. Secondly, the students at the school were so used to eating processed junk food (such as deep fried meat products and chips
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
) that Oliver faced a student rebellion when he banned junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
from the school. Thirdly, Oliver's unconventional ingredients and meal ideas startled the dinner ladies, increased their workload dramatically, and exceeded the allocated budget.
Boot camp
After a disastrous start at Kidbrooke, with students refusing to eat and dinner ladies threatening to resign due to overwork, Oliver organised a "boot campRecruit training
Recruit training, more commonly known as Basic Training and colloquially called Boot Camp, is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel, enlisted and officer...
" for dinner ladies in the borough, roping in the catering division of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
to demonstrate how to cook large amounts of food quickly and efficiently.
County Durham
Statistically, the English county of DurhamCounty Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
had the highest rate of health problems among school children in the country. Oliver visited a primary school in Peterlee
Peterlee
Peterlee is a new town in County Durham, England. Founded in 1948, Peterlee town originally mostly housed coal miners and their families.Peterlee has strong economic and community ties with Sunderland and Hartlepool.-Peterlee:...
, and realised that part of the problem with getting children to eat healthier food was the food they were eating at home. He visited a young boy's family and convinced them to try a healthier home-cooked menu for a week.
Return to London
Returning to Greenwich, Oliver faced a student boycottBoycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
of his new menu. He produced an education kit, and recruited children to work in the kitchen, demonstrating to them exactly what went into chicken nuggets, and teaching them to identify vegetables.
As the campaign gathered momentum, gaining increasing public support, Oliver approached members of the government, to campaign for increased funding for ingredients and staff wages in school canteens.
Results of the show and campaign
The British Government, and Prime Minister Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
promised to take steps to improve school dinners shortly after the program aired. 271,677 people signed an online petition on the Feed Me Better website, which was delivered to 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
on 30 March 2005. Certain junk foods (such as the notorious Bernard Matthews "Turkey Twizzlers" much derided on the show) were banned from schools by their local borough or county council. The Department for Education and Skills created the School Food Trust
School Food Trust
The School Food Trust is a UK Charity and specialist advisor to government on school meals, children’s food and related skills.-History:The trust was created in 2005 by the Department for Education and Skills , following celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's critique of the nutritional quality of school...
to provide support and advice to improve the standard of school meals.
Jamie's Return to School Dinners
Starting in February 2006, Oliver returned to his crusade to see how his flagship Greenwich school, Kidbrooke, was progressing. Overworked and under pressure, Nora reveals that she is losing money due to the decision to close the school tuck shopTuck shop
A tuck shop is a small, food-selling retailer. It is a term principally used in the UK, Grenada, South Africa, New Zealand, the Australian states of Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, and occasionally in other parts of the former British Empire. In New South Wales, the term is...
(which sold junk food and snacks), that she wasn't being paid for the extra hours, and that she hadn't seen any of the promised money. The end-of-year deficit is between £12000 and £15000 (the school management declined to be precise, on the advice of the local council), the children are slipping back into their old habits, and Jamie's new menu is losing popularity.
In response, Jamie organises a 'Junk Amnesty' wherein the children exchange their snacks and unhealthy food for tokens which can then be redeemed for healthier meals at a kiosk Jamie sets up in their playground.
Jamie then travels to Lincolnshire, where most of the schools have decommissioned their kitchens to save money. He pioneers a project that connects the schools to local pubs, restaurants, and hotels, and to local farmers. Produce would be sourced locally, cooked, and then taken to nearby schools by taxi or volunteer drivers. In order to make the project viable, he has to convince 90% of the local parents to participate.
A pilot scheme is started to provide Theddlethorpe
Theddlethorpe
Theddlethorpe comprises two close villages and civil parishes, Theddlethorpe St Helen, and Theddlethorpe All Saints, in the East Lindsey district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. These two villages have operated as one entity for many years...
and Saltfleetby
Saltfleetby
Saltfleetby is a village and civil parish in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Situated approximately east of Louth, north of Mablethorpe and on the coast of the North Sea, the village had a population of 599 at the 2001 Census....
primary schools in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
with hot meals, with the help of a local pub. However, there are problems. Nora has hygiene concerns regarding the pub kitchen, and the pub cook has been altering the recipes in an attempt to save money, which Jamie remedies by introducing him to a local supplier.
Initial take-up is good, following a demonstration to parents of a terms'-worth of junk food that their children eat (a plastic mat with a pile of chips (2 binfuls), saturated fat, Coke, burgers, with a garnish of crisps and sweets), and a brief speech at the school's Easter service.
To spread the word, Jamie organises a fête for local schools, suppliers and caterers in Lincoln Castle
Lincoln Castle
Lincoln Castle is a major castle constructed in Lincoln, England during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is only one of two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in Sussex...
. There he encourages connections between parents, schools, and food industry representatives. The event ('Hot Dinners For Imps') is a resounding and overwhelming success, and garners support from the local council.
Results
In London, meeting first with Alan JohnsonAlan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
, and Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, Jamie secures promises of an additional £280M for 3 years, a trust to allow schools without kitchens to build, a pledge to consider a series of training kitchens across the country, and creation of a voluntary code of conduct concerning advertising of junk food to children