Parents and teachers welcomed the introduction of new standards designed to make school dinners healthier at a sampling session.

The School Food Trust (SFT), set up in September 2005 with funding from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), held the session following the launch of new rules for making school meals at Spitalfields on Friday.

Celebrity chef Brian Turner, a regular on Ready Steady Cook, was chosen to cook the meals using recipes inspired by the new standards for a group of children, parents and teachers from Hanover Primary School, Islington.

Under the new rules chocolate and crisps are now banned completely from the lunch menus and tough restrictions have been put in place on fried food.

There are also restrictions on burgers and sausage rolls and minimum standards for the quality of meat served. More fruit and vegetables have been introduced and oily fish will be served at least once every three weeks. Fizzy drinks will be replaced by water, milk or pure fruit juices.

The new regulations were welcomed as a good start by one mum-of-two Deborah Kenneally.

Mrs Kenneally, who attended the sampling session with her eight-year-old daughter Ella, said: "I think that it's a fantastic idea and should really help ensure children get used to eating healthy food. It really is a step in the right direction."

Mrs Kenneally who also works as a teaching assistant at Hanover Primary School, added: "Eating healthily helps improve concentration and behaviour at school. And looking at the food, I don't think there will be any problems getting the children to eat it."

Chef Brian Turner said: "New standards have come into place to make school meals healthier and we need to make sure our kids see the benefit.

"One good thing about the standards is that they don't bow down to food fads - we tend to forget that the basics of a healthy meal lie in a balanced diet. It's important that school food is interesting, fun and fresh which is why it's good to see that the occasional treats can be mixed with healthier options to ensure kids get the nutrients they need. The proof is in the pudding so I urge parents and children to at least give them a try."

Paul Jarman, head teacher at Hanover Primary School commented: "Parents, children and teachers can all benefit from the drive to increase the take-up of healthy school meals. Parent who encourage their children to adopt a healthier diet are not only reducing the risk of future health hazards such as diabetes and obesity, but providing the best chance for their child to succeed at school."

  • Read the answers to your question on the new rules by clicking here.