The 7 Pillars That Make Up Our Healthy School Meals

At Hobbs, we’ve built our menus to combine taste and nutrition, giving pupils of all ages a school meal plan that they’ll not only enjoy, but will encourage them towards a healthy diet. Each of our meals is created using our seven base pillars, helping us to hit all criteria.

The Main Dish

The first component of our menus is the main dish, which are always vegetarian or meat/fish based. They provide flavourful nutrition that allows children to experience a broad range of flavours from different countries and cultures all over the world. Examples of our tasty main dishes include Quorn stir fry, chicken tikka, and meatballs.

A Starchy Accompaniment

Our main dishes are paired with a starchy dish, which helps to fill out the meal and provide active students with the energy that they need throughout the day. These are selected to compliment the flavours of our main dishes and provide everyone with a balanced plate. Some examples of our starchy dishes are rice, spaghetti, noodles and sauté potatoes.

A Hearty Portion Of Veg

Next on the plate is one of the most important parts – a nice healthy portion of veg. We offer an array of colourful, nutritious and delicious vegetables that help children to get the vitamins and minerals that they need to grow and excel. Our range of veg sides includes broccoli, cabbage, roasted tomatoes, and garlic green beans.

Fresh Bread Baked On Site

We also serve fresh bread daily – great to pair with meals. All of our bread is baked freshly onsite, eliminating the need for preservatives and ensuring great taste every time. We even provide workshops where children can learn to bake bread themselves!

Fresh Fruit

The fifth pillar of our healthy school meals is fresh fruit. Students can choose from a range of seasonal produce, along with apples, pears, oranges, melon and pineapple. Our fruit provides a tasty, healthy snack that gives children vital energy and vitamins.

The  Salad Bar

Our salad bar is filled with fresh veg and pasta for those who might want something cold or a little lighter. Students can choose from a range of components including lettuce, pasta, tomatoes, sweetcorn, beetroot and more, giving them a healthy cold meal.

Pudding

The seventh and final pillar of our school menus – pudding. There’s no better way to top off a delicious meal than with a tasty pudding. We provide a range of options that everyone will love, including strawberry mousse, cherry muffins, and lemon drizzle cake. Using our special software program, we make sure that our puddings provide just enough to give students an energy boost, without making them unhealthy.

A Complete Meal: What Does It Contain?

The best school meals are based around a complete diet, where all food groups are covered and nutrients are abundant. But what exactly is a “complete meal”, what should it contain, and what would one look like?

A complete meal should contain a balance of the main food groups – healthy proteins, high fibre starches, and fruit and veg. Most health organisations recommend filling a quarter of the meal with healthy protein, another quarter with starches and the final half with fruit/veg.

In terms of nutrients, a balanced meal will contain protein, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, and a small amount of unsaturated fats and sugar. It’s important that every meal contains a sufficient, but not excessive, amount of each of these nutrient groups.

What a complete meal looks like

A great example of a complete school meal can be seen on our Tuesday, Week 2 menu. All of the important food and nutrient groups are met by balancing each part of the meal in the correct proportions.

The main dish of chicken tikka provides a healthy portion of protein without too much saturated fat. The starchy side dish of rice gives students a source of carbohydrates that’s high in fibre. The vegetable portion of meal is filled with broccoli and tomatoes, both of which are rich in vitamins such as vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin K1.

The benefits of consistently eating balanced meals

Eating complete school meals has an array of benefits for children, all of which help them to grow and succeed at school. A balanced diet:

  • Supports brain development
  • Boosts immunity
  • Helps the digestive system to function normally
  • Supports healthy, consistent growth
  • Strengthens bones and supports muscles
  • Keeps teeth, skin, and eyes healthy
  • Helps to maintain a healthy weight