Food at Finborough
Food at Finborough is a hot topic and that is because our Head Chef involves our pupils in the development of the menus. Each week a form group picks a theme and our team of talented chefs and assistants cook it for the whole school. So far we have enjoyed a Japanese theme, with homemade sushi being served; an Indian theme, with a selection of curries and naan breads; and an American theme, with burgers and hotdogs (all with vegetarian options). Our boarders also meet to discuss evening menu suggestions and their evening snacks.
When Finborough is home, it is essential that you eat healthy, nutritious meals with occasional treats. This ethos is applicable to our entire community.
Until Year 2, our teachers sit with the children at mealtimes, to ensure table manners are developed, food is eaten and water is drunk! From Year 3 onwards we are building independence and pupils make their own choices. Teachers sit with prep school children and the pupils ask if they can leave the table, allowing our staff to monitor what they have eaten whilst also getting them used to clearing up after themselves. We are in the business of education. At Finborough, we firmly believe that that involves educating our pupils to make the right choices when it comes to food. At lunch there is always a meat, fish and vegetarian option alongside vegetables, such as kale and broccoli. A salad bar with sixteen different options (which change daily) or hot soup are lighter alternatives, and for those that need extra ‘fuel’, pasta is served too with a variety of homemade sauces.
Senior school pupils sit together and, if anyone requires more food, they only have to ask.
We are a nut free school and special dietary requirements are catered for. Our Head Chef knows personally which pupils require an alternative menu choice. Healthy snacks such as homemade protein bars and fruit are provided at morning break for all pupils (Year 1 upwards) and the whole school enjoys biscuit treats on a Friday.
The Dining Hall and Kitchen are the engine rooms of the school. Our menus change seasonally and we will always provide a varied selection of healthy, nutritious food which helps our pupils to make the right choices and equips them with the energy to learn and develop.
Please view our current menu’s here:
*Please note, menu’s may be subject to change.
Food Feedback @ Finborough
The food our children eat is an important part of their holistic experience and we want them to enjoy a rich and varied balanced diet.
Many of our children have very specific dietary needs and we work very hard to ensure a bespoke service for every individual with allergies, intolerance and other factors.
We want ALL of our children to enjoy their food and for it to give them the energy to navigate the beautifully busy lives they have at school.
We take feedback from our students very seriously, particularly with respect to the food they eat every day at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We have a number of approaches in place to capture feedback from students about the food they eat at school.
The first of these is capturing ‘live’ feedback during service at meals across the week. This is done in a very systemised and structured way, where our Head Chef and others including Mr Clark and our Head Girl and Head Boy will sit with a group and talk with them about what they are eating, capturing feedback both positive and suggestions for improvement. This data is collected and reviewed every week and at the end of each half term to drive improvement ensuring ‘better never stops’.
In addition every term we have a whole school ‘Food Focus’ via the Finborough Flyer, a week where every form has an opportunity to provide some feedback on food. This is again captured, both positive and areas for improvement and shared with our Head Chef to inform planning of menus for the next term.
During every half term our student leaders share collected feedback on the food at Finborough to further support the continuous cycle of review and development.
Most importantly in addition to these feedback strategies, our children and young adults can share their views on the food and its service at any time and they do, through both compliments and concerns and these are always acted upon to ensure improvement.
Food is an area that attracts views from both students and parents and we hugely appreciate those families who share these with us, both positive and areas for improvement.
If any parent or child has concerns, feedback or suggestions about the food at Finborough we encourage these to be shared with their form tutor, who has a deep holistic understanding of each of their students and will take any action that is required and share feedback / suggestions with our Head Chef Amanda and her excellent team.
We are also very happy to welcome any parent on request to join us for a meal at the school, at normal service time. This will share ‘live’ what our children eat and how our excellent catering team works to ensure the while school is kept energised so we can all focus on learning, developing character and our immersion in the rich tapestry of school life.