2010Lunchtime Meals

• 1 . Quick and Easy Lunchtime ideas along with catering initiatives and recipes

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• Jamie Trinder, age 4, enjoys his Harrison school lunch at Corpus Christi RC primary School in London
• Comment from: Geoffrey Harrison, Managing Director of Harrison Catering Services
  At Harrison Catering Services we always work hard to create quick and easy lunchtime ideas that are in compliance with nutritional standards, whilst still providing pupils with a wide range of delicious, healthy choices. We work on a simple premise that revolves around great food made from fresh ingredients prepared by trained cooks - because we know that fresh food tastes better.
  In order to fulfil our high standards and targets, Harrison Catering work hand in hand with each individual school to make sure they are given the opportunity to personalise their menus and input their ideas. This helps to create interesting and appealing lunch menus that are cost-effective, nutritious and easy to prepare on site. Furthermore, we have created kids taste panels to ensure that all of our menus are child friendly and will be eaten, rather than left behind and thrown away – simple logic tells us that nutritional value only counts if the food is eaten!
  Harrison Catering has also developed a system to help increase school meal uptake, where children can collect points every time they eat lunch. Points are awarded on a sliding scale depending on how healthy their meal choice is – the healthier their lunch, the more points they accumulate and the bigger the prize they win. So far we’ve given away Mountain bikes, pony-riding lessons and local gym memberships to name but a few.
  At the beginning of each academic year, we introduce our new menus to the schools and launch new concepts in order to add variety to the dishes that we serve. Across certain schools, we have recently launched a number of new initiatives to add variety to their menus.
  ‘One pot’ dishes are one introduction for 2010, a simple and delicious way to provide all the nutrients of a healthy meal. Consisting usually of meat and a variety of vegetables, ‘one pot’ dishes are especially popular in the cooler months; a firm favourite is Braised Lamb with Summer Vegetables and Mint Pesto, as it is packed full of an exciting mixture of ingredients and tastes fabulous.
  To encourage pupils to try different ingredients and styles of cooking, noodle bars have been established in certain schools, serving a variety of Asian influenced noodle dishes. Another initiative being introduced at one of our schools is a proper ‘deli’ bar, offering a wide selection of quick and easy lunchtime meals. The range includes freshly made sandwiches, baguettes, rolls, bagels, salad bowls and a quality ‘bean-to-cup’ coffee offer. All of these initiatives will allow pupils to choose exactly what they want from the variety of freshly-made food that Harrison Catering prepare on site on a daily basis.
  With children’s eating habits and nutritional concerns being at the forefront of the media’s attention, Harrison Catering continues to be a strong leader within this sector and we continually strive to improve our school meal offer in order to provide an excellent, high-quality service for each client.

• 2 . High Quality Catering Service wins three new contracts

• Independently owned catering services provider, Harrison Catering, has added three new contracts to its growing portfolio. After a competitive tender process, Harrison Catering has been awarded contracts with three top independent schools: Putney High School, Harrogate Ladies College and Snaresbrook College Preparatory School, taking over the contracts from the start of 2010/2011 school year.
  The contracts will provide meals for over 1,500 pupils aged 4-18, along with over 150 staff, and will see Harrison taking on over 40 new catering staff. These additional independent schools contracts serve to further position Harrison Catering as a leading school meals provider in this sector. It is this tried and trusted experience that helped Harrison Catering see off competition from a range of high-calibre competitors.
  Geoffrey Harrison, founder and MD of Harrison Catering, said: “A high quality catering service is crucial in today’s competitive independent school market and, at Harrison, our focus is always on offering quality, value for money and the reinforcement of each independent school’s community ethos. Our experience in this market goes back to the very beginnings of the company and through this we fully appreciate and understand the importance of our role with each school to ensure that we work hand in hand to deliver a bespoke service and added value.”
  About the schools:
  ✐ Putney High School has been educating girls for over a hundred years and Harrison Catering is looking forward to becoming a part of their exciting future
  ✐ Harrogate Ladies College, located in North Yorkshire, is a prestigious independent and day school for girls aged 11-18. Some of Harrogate’s famous alumni include Claire King, who starred in Coronation Street
  ✐ Snaresbrook College Preparatory School is a co-ed primary day school located in South Woodford, London. The school boasts an extremely high success rate in preparing children for Public schools at various levels and to Grammar schools at age 11

• 3 . Recipe - Braised Lamb with Summer Vegetables and Mint Pesto

  
  Adding a serving of a green vegetable such as broccoli or some crisp green beans would make the meal even healthier and more satisfying.
• Serves 6
  Ingredients
  700g diced leg of lamb
  1 onion, chopped
  2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  1.5 ltr chicken stock
  300g diced potato
  4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
  150g sliced carrots
  4 sticks of celery, cut into 2cm pieces
  6 baby turnips, cut into 4
  12 spring onions, trimmed to 10cm long
  6 basil leaves
  20 mint leaves
  100g parmesan cheese, grated
  250ml olive oil
  20g butter and 20g sugar for vegetable glaze
• Method
  • Put the diced lamb into a saucepan. Cover the meat with water and bring to the boil. Drain off the water and refresh with cold water. Drain well.
  • Add 50ml of olive oil to a large braising pan and add the onion, half the potatoes, half the carrots and 1 clove of garlic. Cook without colour for 2 minutes.
  • Add the lamb, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1½ hours.
  • In a food processor put the mint, basil, remaining garlic clove and parmesan cheese. Blend and add the rest of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  • After the lamb has cooked for around 1½ hours add the rest of the potatoes and tomatoes and continue to cook for another 30 minutes.
  • Put the turnips, remaining carrots, spring onions and celery in a pan over a medium heat with the butter, sugar and 100ml of water and cook the vegetables until they are ‘al dente’.
  • When the lamb is cooked and tender, serve the stew in large white bowls with some glazed vegetables scattered on top. Finally add a big spoonful of mint pesto and serve.