Home-made food for school pupils

Locally produced ingredients are used in the school lunches

A village school in Devon is providing home-cooked school lunches.

The young pupils at Diptford Primary School, near Totnes can choose between a meat or vegetarian main dish with at least two vegetable choices.

The meals are prepared and cooked by a parent and school governor, calling themselves Lunchalot.

Lunchalot has received grants from two local businesses and now provide lunches at the school three times a week at a cost of £1.50 a meal.

You've got to eat everything because it's so lovely Diptford Primary School pupil

The meals are proving a big hit with the pupils, with comments including: "I think it's healthy and it's really delicious and yummy."

Another pupil said: "They always put it a couple of vegetables, so you've got to eat everything because it's so lovely."

The school's head teacher Lynda Rutkowska says the home-cooked lunches fits in very well with the healthy school ethos.

She said: "We decided that we wanted to give the children traditional, whole food which was cooked with ingredients which were produced locally."

Ms Rutkowska says it should not be difficult for other schools to provide the same service.

"I think if we can manage to do it in our small school setting with limited people around, then anyone can do it if they want to and they are committed to having proper food at lunchtime."