Creating tasty and nutritious meals every day for more than 700 hungry children and adults is a tall order.
For the kitchen staff at Newington Community Primary School in Ramsgate it is just another day as they pride themselves on giving all their diners healthy food.
An integral part of overall service is the importance the kitchen team places on hygiene.
Behind the hustle and bustle of cooking and serving is their emphasis that all surfaces, utensils, cooking and storage facilities are spotless.
And this has been highlighted this month with a five star hygiene rating by Thanet Council following a rigorous inspection.
Head Teacher Cliff Stokes praised the kitchen crew. He said: “Every day our kitchen team go above and beyond to provide hot meals and packed lunches for more than 700 children and our staff.
Their hard work and commitment ensuring that food standards are consistently met and that a wide ranging menu is on offer resulted in a well-deserved five star rating.”
The menus are varied, healthy and cater for all needs, diets and allergies.
The team also put on a range of special themed events that tie in with national or world events, highlighting cuisine from around the world, and decorating the servery with colourful flags and artwork.
For example, to celebrate Chinese New Year this year Helen Moore and her kitchen team offered tasty traditional fare including sweet and sour chicken curry, chicken in black bean sauce, hoi sin vegetable noodles, prawn crackers, spring rolls, and fortune cookies.
Mr Stokes added: “Our kitchen team make it a priority to know all of our children and their individual food needs and preferences. They are always smiling and friendly and go out of their way to make eating in our school restaurant a welcoming experience.
“They truly are a five star set up and deserve all the praise and awards that come their way.”