In the wake of Jamie Oliver’s 2005 campaign to improve school dinners, pilot projects for hot meal provision have been set up in 3 of the borough’s primary schools with the current cold meal contractor Scolarest.

Winton, Heathlands and Kinson Primary have all found that pupils are benefiting from the hot meal provision and the take up figures for each school have continued to rise.

The hot meal system that has been introduced to these 3 schools is a unique system called Esteam. Esteam uses steam pressure to produce fresh, healthy dishes. The complete meals are delivered in raw to the schools on a daily basis and are steam cooked using a microwave as the energy source by the existing lunchtime supervisors. Microwave energy is used as it the only energy source that can generate the steam from within the food itself. The meals are pressure steamed quickly which means they retain most of their nutrients and goodness. Microwaves also take up very little space so provide a great solution for schools with limited kitchen facilities like those in Bournemouth.

Councillor Claire Smith, Portfolio Holder for Children's Services commented “The pilot projects are a complete success. Since the trials started each school has continued to see rise in the number of children wanting a hot meal and the pupils are enjoying the 4 week menu with some trying and discovering new foods. The social experience of coming into the dinner hall, sitting at a table with a knife and fork and eating with peers is also very valuable and something the children were not experiencing with a packed lunch at their desk.”

As Bournemouth continues to develop its strategy for reintroducing hot meals to schools it is hoped that more pilot projects will be implemented in the borough so that schools can learn from these when looking at their options with the council in taking the governments plans forward.