These meals are bound to bring back memories for many across Merseyside
Dinner Lady Irene Smith serves her last dinner at Bebington High School, Merseyside, where she has worked for the last 15 years. October 8, 1997(Image: Mirrorpix)
We’re almost at the end of the summer holidays and before we know it, children from across Merseyside will be heading back to school to start their new academic year. It’s easy to start feeling nostalgic when we think back to our school days – from our favourite teachers to the friends we made, school uniform shopping and what was part of the dinner time menu.
For years, many Liverpool school children will remember eating the same hot school meals and desserts on a regular basis. Some we loved and some we loathed, and on certain days we may have gotten extra if there was any to spare from the dinner ladies.
READ MORE: Lost Liverpool city centre pub that was ‘different in character’READ MORE: Transformation of Liverpool baths where thousands learnt to swim
As thousands across our region are heading back to school in the coming days, we wanted to take another look back at a number of school dinner meals and treats we remember from our childhood in Liverpool.
Here are 19 things we ate as part of our Merseyside school dinners that we loved or loathed. This list isn’t intended to be comprehensive – but see how many you remember in our list below.
1. School cake
School cake with custard
Still referred to as ‘school cake,’ nothing could beat a square slice of sponge cake with white icing and multi-coloured sprinkles on top. Many people still have fond memories of this retro cake or excitement of seeing dinner ladies begin to serve it as you queued up at lunchtime.
It never really became unpopular, but in recent years many of us have tried our hands at creating our own tray school cake at home, or buying a slice from a local bakery. Earlier this year, we gave it a go ourselves.
2. Turkey Twizzlers
Turkey Twizzlers were a school favourite for many
A controversial corkscrew-shaped treat – the Turkey Twizzlers are still remembered today not only for their taste, but the frenzy when they were banned from schools. After years of being loved by school children, in 2005 Turkey Twizzlers disappeared from school canteens and off our supermarket shelves thanks in part to celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver.
Fatty and processed, they weren’t as good for us as they tasted, but that didn’t stop the uproar from children when they were removed from the lunch menu. Back in 2020, the ECHO reported how Bernard Matthews had relaunched the controversial product with supermarket chain Iceland stocking them in store – with the lunchtime meat said to be much healthier – with double the turkey meat compared to the original.
3. Pasta King
Pasta King was available at many schools(Image: Nitu Mistry)
Pasta King was a top-tier edition to the lunch time menu and still exists in a number of local schools. If you went to secondary school in the 00s – you’ll probably remember queueing to get a Pasta King in the canteen.
Dished into their signature red pots, you’d be unlucky to get a batch of pasta that was particularly watery. But for many, the meatballs were favourites on the menu.
4. Pink custard
Pink custard was paired with many retro school desserts. Thick skinned in many cases, the pink added a little bit more fun as oppose to using your standard yellow custard.
Many thought the recipe was simply adding food colouring to normal custard. But some people feel nostalgic and still make it today, adding hot milk to Angel Delight or a packed of pink blancmange mix.
5. Square pizza
Who didn’t love pizza in the shape of a square(Image: Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
Forget about your triangle slices, square or rectangle shaped pizza was everywhere during our school days and usually served with chunky chips. Sometimes as thick as the pan it was cooked in, you knew it was pizza day when the smell would waft through the dinner hall.
6. Crinkle cut carrots
A lot of our school meals were paired with the vegetable combo of peas, sweetcorn combo – and crinkle cut carrots. They didn’t taste any different and were likely bought like that in the packet.
And many only associated them with school dinners. Vegetables weren’t always the favourite part of a school dish, but we’d eat them up if dessert was on the cards.
7. Cheese pie
Certain generations will remember being served some form of cheese pie, or even cheese flan. Cooked in a deep tin, the massive dish would be cut up into squares and often served with chips.
8. Mashed potato ‘from an ice-cream scoop’
Mashed potato was often on the menu(Image: 4kodiak)
This doesn’t need much more explanation – but a lot of school served the perfect ball of mashed potato which was like something from an ice-cream scoop. Lumps and consistency may have been a problem on some days, but they were usually served with meat like sausages and gravy and vegetables.
9. Jam and coconut sponge
Another sweet treat to rival the school cake – many of us opted for a jam and coconut cake whenever it appeared on the menu. A classic in the school dinner halls, the light sponge topped with jam and coconut shavings would be baked as a massive traybake and cut up into pieces.
10. Fish fingers
Fish fingers are still loved by generations(Image: Josef Mohyla)
Not restricted to the school premises, sometimes you can’t been fish fingers, chips and beans. A wholesome dish during lunchtime, it’s still a go to for generations of families today.
11. Rice pudding
Rice pudding sprinkled with nutmeg
You either loved it or loathed it – but for generations, rice pudding was the only dessert on offer in school. There are so many variations of it today in the supermarket, with many not leaving rice pudding behind with their school days.
12. Spam fritters
Spam fritters are remembered by generations of school kids(Image: Martin Lee / Alamy Stock Photo)
The thought of a spam fritter is not particularly appetising for youngsters of today, but generations ago it was a staple in our local schools. Usually served with mash and some form of vegetable, the spam would be deep-fried in batter and is thought to have been introduced around the First World War.
13. Arctic roll
Arctic roll is still loved(Image: Andy Thompson / Alamy Stock Photo)
In school, you knew it was a good day when Arctic Roll was on the menu. A classic still sold in restaurants and supermarkets, you couldn’t beat the ice-cream encased in a thin layer of sponge with jam spread.
14. Semolina and jam
Semolina pudding with jam(Image: Dorling Kindersley)
The thought of semolina and jam may still send shivers down some ex-pupils spines – but other children absolutely loved it. The milky-porridge like dessert came in a bowl with a dollop of jam in the middle to sweeten it.
15. Chicken supreme
A bit different to a lot of the treats and dishes on our list, a school chicken supreme was usually served with chips or rice. Many kids looked forward to it, but in some schools it could be a bit gelatinous.
16. Turkey Dinosaurs
Turkey Dinosaurs were so popular
They never received as much controversy as their distant cousins the Turkey Twizzlers, but the Turkey Dinosaurs cemented themselves as another classic school dinner, served up with the likes of potato smiley faces or beans or spaghetti hoops. They’re still made by manufacturers Bernard Matthews to this day, but they don’t make their way onto school dinner plates quite as often today.
17. Tin fruit cocktail
Not the most adventurous, but many of us will remember having a bowl of tin fruit cocktail ready to eat next to our hot main meal. This dessert was usually paired with a little bit of whipped cream.
18. Tapioca
Tapioca wasn’t a favourite for many
Tapioca is loathed by many from older generations and arguably unknown by school children of today. The milky pudding is still associated with our lost school days and was sometimes known as ‘frogspawn pudding’ because of its texture.
19. Iced buns
Sometimes known simply as school buns or iced finger buns, you can still buy these treats in many chain and independent bakeries. Served at dinner or even sold during break time, they weren’t as elaborate as other desserts, but many loved them all the same.