What was your favorite lunch to bring to school?

Going through school in the 50’ & ’60’s we didn’t have to take a lunch to school as ‘school dinners’ were provided. We did have to pay for them, though as I recall it was probably a nominal amount and probably only paid by families who could ‘afford’ it. In post war Britain it was a government incentive and an investment in child health and nutrition. Schools had large ‘industrial’ kitchens and that in itself was job creation for women post war.

Women had become accustomed to being out in the workforce during the war while men were in the services, and were not happy to give up work, with all the social and financial advantages when the men returned to the jobs they had had to leave. We paid for lunches by the week and I remember there was always a bit of a panic on a Monday morning not only to remember ‘your dinner money’ but to see that the right change was ready & available. Lunch was always a two course cooked lunch, main course and dessert.

We sat at set tables,with the same people every day and in Elementary School there were’ dinner ladies’ who circulated and made sure that everyone cleaned their plates… no wasting food. In High School we sat at tables organised in our ‘Houses’ with someone from each Grade and a Sixth Former as Head of Table. The food was pretty much down home comfort foods, no fancy ethnic choices back then, and definately no salads. I remember two regular daily staples - mashed potato with the main course and custard with dessert.

There was stewed beef and mince and roasted beef and pork, always lots of gravy. I don’t remember chicken, that was a bit of a luxury post war. Vegetables were heavy on the seasonal - carrots, cabbage, turnips and tinned peas. Desserts were fruit crumbles, steamed puddings, prunes …..all with the aforementioned custard….also rice and tapioca and semoliina puddings.

It was all good filling stuff to see us through the rest of the day’s activities. It also took the pressure of Mom’s at home to produce a ‘cooked’ meal in the evening when a substantial lunch had been taken care of. Folding tables were set up, usually in the Assembly Hall, before lunch and all taken down by the janitorial staff after lunch. In Elementary school the food was served cafeteria style onto a plate, if you were lucky you had a dinner lady who let you choose the amount you wanted.

If not you had to take what you got … and clean your plate. In High School we had to collect the food from the kitchen servery in serving dishes to take to the table, and the Head of Table would serve out your portion and then we had to clean off all the dishes after lunch. An enduring memory is of the Assembly Hall smelling of stale lunch all afternoon!