What are your kids eating at school?

Believe it or not, many canteens at secondary schools are serving up dishes that go far beyond what might be considered merely necessary, safe and nutritious; nowadays, they’re offering pupils a rich variety of cuisines, thereby making their school lives more enjoyable, if not memorable.

“In addition to regular ‘hot dishes’ sets A, B and C during lunch time, there are pasta, pizza, pastries, special pan-fried dishes, noodles in soup and other options during lunchtime, not to mention other snacks and pastries available at the cafe,” says Lydia Yu, business and general manager at South Island School, as we walk through the school’s Cafe Five O, next to the main entrance.

There, various pastries, croissants, wraps, crêpes, muffins, paninis, ciabatta and baguette, as well as smoothies, are available throughout the school day. “Senior students can get coffee there too,” Yu says. The cafe serves espresso, cappuccino, latte, mocha, caramel mocha – you name it – at prices between HK$18 and HK$28.

The school also has two other catering outlets – Atrium and Refectory – where its 1,400 secondary pupils can eat and chat. The former serves hot dishes, pastas, pizzas, and snacks all day; the latter houses a juice bar, a salad bar, a “Hot Wok” section serving special pan-fried dishes, and a noodles section. The school’s snacks menuincludes over 60 items, from French fries to pork buns.

Three main hot dishes for lunch – chicken casserole with rice; King Dou pork with rice; and teriyaki tofu with rice – are on offer at HK$27.5 each, during our visit to the school. “The menus are designed for ESF schools by our executive chef who is from Italy,” says Wendy Ho, operations manager of Compass Group, catering service provider of all ESF secondary schools except King George V. “Once a menu is designed, which we do on regular terms, we will send it to our nutritionists to review, and then will send it to the food committee of the school to review,” Ho says. To minimise food wastage, portions are set on average size but students can always request for more rice or pasta for free, she adds.

According to Yu, the food committee, which consists of about 10 persons and includes parents, students, staff and representatives of the caterer, meets once a term to discuss and review the overall performance of the caterer in terms of food quality and services, and catering environment aspects. The menu for the canteens is updated regularly on the school website for all parents and stakeholders.