School dinners

I had a school dinner every day from when I started school until I completed my fifth form at Grammar School.  Throughout primary school the cost was one shilling - five pence in today's money!  The price increased in my secondary school days but I don't think it was ever more than 1/6. 

Most days there was some sort of meat, potatoes, vegetables and gravy followed by a pudding with custard.  That was the basic idea.

Meat could be a meat pie, or braised liver, or stew or sausages or maybe roast meat.  Vegetables would be cabbage, or carrots, or butterbeans, or tinned peas, or swede and carrots.

Puddings were often milk puddings (tapioca, sago, rice) but could also be traditional English puds like Bakewell tart, Manchester tart, or steamed pudding.  We might also have stewed fruit or fruit crumble.  

On Friday fish appeared, fried, baked or poached in milk.  There would be a salad sometime although I have still never worked out why salads included cold baked beans.

Everything was washed down with water.  And everybody had to try everything.

Considering we'd also had milk half way through the morning, I think it could be said that we didn't go hungry!