Lunch
Our school takes pride in preparing nutritious lunches onsite, featuring freshly baked bread or focaccia, a selection of salads, and a delightful fruit medley. Students eagerly anticipate our specialties like chicken romesco, slow-cooked brisket, and authentic Italian pizza. We prioritize local and organic ingredients whenever available, ensuring meals are both wholesome and sustainable. Our kitchen is nut-free, and each day offers gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan alternatives.
To promote healthier choices, we limit sugary treats to two cakes per week, much to the delight of our young ones who favour classics like lemon drizzle with poppy seeds. These efforts not only nourish growing minds but also foster a love for balanced eating from an early age.
OUR FOOD VISION
Our Head Chef, Sergio Vitale, and the dedicated kitchen team are committed to providing nutritious and appealing meals for our students. Our food vision centres around freshness, variety, and student involvement.
- Homemade Meals: As much of our school lunch food as possible is cooked from scratch.
- Variety of Ingredients and Flavors: We use a diverse range of ingredients and flavours that children enjoy.
- Fresh Hummus and Crudités: We prepare fresh hummus and crudités daily, fostering a social dining experience where children enjoy choosing their own food.
- Weekly Fresh Fish: Fresh fish is included in our menu each week to provide a balanced diet.
- Engaging with Students: We actively talk and listen to the children, encouraging them to try new things and gathering feedback on their food preferences.
- Menu Review and Adaptation: We regularly review and adapt our menu based on the feedback from the children to ensure it meets their tastes and nutritional needs.
Our goal is to create a positive and healthy dining experience for all students, encouraging them to enjoy nutritious meals and explore new foods.
Menu Evolution
Our current school lunch menus are attached. Please note the allergen information is marked on the menus as follows:
- D = Dairy G = Gluten E = Egg S/S = Sesame F = Fish SF = Shellfish
The school menus undergo continuous evolution under Sergio s guidance, adapting to feedback from students and observations. Modifications are also influenced by ingredient availability from our trusted producers, ensuring fresh and diverse meal options.
We would love to have your feedback on both the menus and school lunches - please contact admin@gayhurst.hackney.sch.uk
Free School Meals
Since September 2023 all children have been receiving Universal Free School Meals regardless of parental income or benefits thanks to the Mayor of London's decision to offer Free School Meals to all London primary school aged children. However, we still need you to apply for free meals if you qualify for them as this will allow Gayhurst to claim important extra funding that is based on the number of families registered for Free School Meals and this funding will benefit your child. There are also other benefits that come with having your child registered for Free School Meals - see the flyer below.
You will need to apply by completing an application form. Parents/Carers only have to apply for Free School Meals once. Hackney Education will check your entitlement against information held by the Department for Education on a regular basis so that you don’t have to renew your application every year or provide proof of your entitlement. You can find more information about Free School Meals eligibility here:
https://education.hackney.gov.uk/content/apply-free-school-meals
To apply for Free School Meals you will need to first register. Please follow the link above, scroll down the page and click on the Apply For Free School Meals button.
Once you have received an email to confirm your eligibility, you can then bring this into the school office as proof of your entitlement. Hackney Education will also send out a notification to us here at school confirming your child’s FSM and Pupil Premium eligibility.
Food Education and Enjoyment
Food Education and Enjoyment are core to our school dining experience. Chef Sergio and his team engage with students by visiting classrooms to discuss new dishes, ingredient sourcing, and culinary techniques. Additionally, we cultivate a school kitchen garden and invite volunteers to participate in this initiative.
We also arrange regular trips to The Hackney School of Food (which is based on the site of one of our partner schools Mandeville Primary School) where the children learn about food and nutrition, take part in age appropriate cooking lessons in the specially designed teaching kitchen and learn about where food comes from and how it is grown, picking and using fruits, vegetables and herbs grown in the School of Food's extensive garden, orchard and vegetable beds (www.hackneyschooloffood.com)
Captain's Table
At lunchtime children from Reception up to Year 6, who follow all of our dining hall rules, have a chance to gain an invitation to eat at the Captain's Table. This is a very special table, set up in the dining hall every three weeks. It has a table cloth, glasses, china plates and bowls, a bread basket, juice and a special desert made by our chef.
Each day, children who follow the dining hall rules are given special tickets which go into the Captain's Table box. There is no limit to how many tickets children can receive.
Every three weeks names are pulled out of the box. The chosen children are awarded a golden envelope with their invitation to join the Captain's Table.
The Gayhurst Dining Hall Rules
- We remember to use good table manners
- We use a knife and fork
- We always walk in the dining hall
- We put our hand up if we need help
- We always talk in a quiet voice and wait our turn to speak.
At Gayhurst we encourage all children to eat school meals together every day.
We recognise that some children may have a particular need which may mean that they have difficulty accessing the main school food menu with the adaptations already provided.
In the first instance, please email admin@gayhurst.hackney.sch.uk and a meeting can be arranged with the Head Chef to discuss your child’s needs and aim to find food that they enjoy. Our Head Chef works hard to support all allergy and medical needs and will make individual adaptations. As well as the two hot meal options daily there has also been a ‘tasting plate’ on offer for children who can’t find a main meal choice they like. This is a nutritionally balanced plate of accessible food.
If your child continues to find lunch food difficult and there is a specific need linked to SEND, medical or social reasons, then please complete the short form titled 'Referral form School Lunches' which can be found at the bottom of this page and email it to admin@gayhurst.hackney.sch.uk. The Headteacher will review all forms and discuss next steps in conjunction with you.
In response to feedback from some parents and children, we will be providing a quiet space for children to eat food brought from home, away from the main lunch hall.
