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Curry in the News - Archives ...
School Dinners in England Get an Indian Make-over!A GROUP of hungry children from Glynwood Primary School, proved to be the exception to the rule this week, when they lapped up a meal based around fruit and vegetables freshly prepared by local restaurateur, Arthair Khan and his Low Fell restaurant, the Last Days of the Raj. Inspired by the Channel Four series, Jamie's School Dinners, where vegetables were shunned by children across the country, Arthair served up a culinary delight which transformed the children's opinions of fruit and vegetables for ever. The group of 50 children rushed excitedly into the dining room, eagerly anticipating the lunch provided by the award winning restaurant, and table by table queued up to sample what was on offer from the day's menu. Featuring freshly prepared Vegetable Curry and Chicken Tikka Masala, accompanied by special Pilao rice, Naan bread and Poppadoms, the mouth watering menu should have been more than enough to fill up the hungry children aged between six and eleven, but the children were so impressed by the food, that they flocked back for seconds, thirds and even fourth helpings in some cases. After all this, they still managed to finish off a delicious desert of fresh fruit salad. Glynwood pupil, Jade Moncur, aged 10, couldn't get enough of the food and managed to squeeze in three helpings. Commenting on the food she said, "I have eaten curry before but this is definitely the best I have tasted. I will definitely be asking my parents to take me to Mr Khan's restaurant." Commenting on the controversy surrounding school dinners at the moment, Catherine Tully, Cultural Development Officer at Glynwood School said, "I think it is great that they are shaking up the way school dinners are being served. Health is a major issue, and if children are encouraged to get into a pattern of healthy eating at this young age, they will eat healthily for the rest of their lives." Glynwood School comes under the Gateshead LEA, which has recently won an award for its school dinners. Glynwood's head cook, Marianne Hope, cooks for three other schools in the Gateshead area, and is keen to borrow Mr Khan's vegetable curry recipe, in order to promote healthy eating to children across her four schools. The special school lunch was part of a scheme in which Glynwood pupils are rewarded for their hard work and good behaviour. The group included the top seven pupils from each class. This is the second time The Last Days of the Raj has worked with Glynwood School, as it invited over 90 pupils to the restaurant last year, where they experienced authentic Indian cuisine as part of a project to learn about the history and culture of India. Commenting on his work with the school, Arthair said, "I feel it is very important to work with local schools to educate them about the Indian culture and to promote a multi-cultural society within our region." He added, "I am delighted with the response the children have had towards my food. Customers at my restaurant are always served with the best quality, freshest ingredients, and I don't see why our children should be treated any differently. Return to Curry in the News Archives
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