Food and Nutrition
Our School's bespoke in-house catering provision prides itself on sourcing the very best fresh seasonal ingredients for school meals.
Lunchtime is a special time of day at Ibstock and we recognise the importance of nutrition and eating well. Pupils enjoy a wide variety of nutritious meals in our award-winning Refectory, carefully prepared by our friendly in-house catering team and catering to all tastes.
Our child-centric healthy eating programme is based upon four key principles of exposure, innovative menu planning, practical understanding of food and freedom of choice.
Innovation Through Food
We are delighted to have won the 2023 Talk Education Awards for Innovation in Education, in the ‘Innovation in Food or Nutrition’ category.
The Innovation in Education Awards 2023 recognise schools who are forging boldly ahead with new, revolutionary ideas which are changing the face of independent education.
Outside of the curriculum, Ibstock brings a sense of fun and innovation through food. Our popular Literary Baking Club,
run by Head of English Dr Cairns, sees pupils create a range of literary themed bakes including Miss Havisham’s Wedding cake and Paddington Bear’s marmalade Loaf.
To celebrate their victory in the Summer Reading Project, the winning class enjoyed a Mad Hatter’s themed tea party created by our catering team, which even included a ‘Drink Me’ potion made using the School’s own elderflowers.
The Great Ibstock Bake Off was another highlight of the year, in which teams of pupils competed for the prize of star baker, awarded by guest judges Amanda Holden, Simon Cowell and Chef Alyn Williams.
Sustainability
The School’s blossoming kitchen garden cultivates a range of herbs and vegetables used in the kitchens and cookery classes and our beehives produce their own unique honey blend used for salad dressings, roasted root vegetables and muffins. We also have our own vegetable patch for soups and stews and make our own elderflower presse from the elder trees on-site.
Through curriculum cookery classes, we aim to equip our pupils with skills to prepare healthy meals, as well as deepening their understanding of sustainability and the provenance of ingredients.
We have introduced 'Veg Fest Fridays' every three weeks, offering exclusively vegetarian options to encourage mindful eating and reduce our carbon footprint. Our Executive Chef Joshua Stevens is passionate about British produce and we embrace seasonal menus and prioritise British local suppliers which adhere to sustainable agricultural practices, including organic and regenerative farming.
Read our sustainability brochure below.
Our Menu
Our menu offers choice and flexibility and aims to instil positive eating habits that will remain with pupils far beyond their school days, underpinned by best practice and guidance.
Allergies
We recognise that there are members of the School community who suffer from food allergies and that they vary in terms of their severity and complexity.
We cater to pupils with food allergies and other specific dietary requirements. Click on the link below to read our full Allergy and Anaphylaxis Policy.
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