Working With The Education Sector

Trevors Visit Kirkham Grammar

On January 20th, the Trevors team visited one of our customers, Kirkham Grammar School. They are an Independent day and boarding school in Kirkham, Lancashire. We met with the school catering manager to discuss their food offerings. With over 725 students spanning from early years to sixth form, Kirkham Grammar School is known for its commitment to educational excellence, a strong family ethos, and a wide variety of extracurricular activities.

The Trevors team visited just before lunchtime to check out the school’s food offerings and chat with Denise Lawson, the Catering Manager. Denise has over 20 years of experience at the school, having started as a cook and now serving as the catering manager. She shares the role with Emily, who’s been part of the team for four years. We discussed introducing new concepts and foods that the school hadn’t tried before to create a unique and exciting menu. With Denise’s background in healthcare and Emily’s expertise in hospitality, the combination of their skills results in something truly special.

Catering At Kirkham Grammar School

When discussing the food at Kirkham Grammar School, their top priority is providing balanced, good value meals that appeal to their students. To stay on top of this, they keep a close eye on trends popular with younger generations. Their focus is on making meals both attractive and enticing, with an emphasis on fusion flavours and health/wellness. Recently, they’ve started incorporating street food concepts into traditional meals to keep things fresh and exciting. For example, over Christmas, they served loaded roast potatoes and pigs in blanket hot dogs, which the students loved!

Daily, Kirkham offers a variety of options like a pasta bar, loaded protein salad pots (with the option to add extra protein) and homemade soup. They ensure to provide choices for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets to cater to all dietary needs. They also pay attention to protein and energy-boosting foods, ensuring students have the fuel they need throughout the day.

Due to being a boarding school, they provide the students with meals throughout the day. Kirkham Grammar School goes above and beyond to provide a full range of dining experiences. They cater to party nights, film nights (complete with bags of popcorn and Haribo), and themed nights such as Chinese New Year. The school makes a point of listening to student requests and creating meals and experiences that feel as homely as possible. This helps to create the sense of comfort and familiarity that students would have at home.

Meeting The Nutritional Needs and Wants Of Students

We asked how they cater to such a wide range of ages, from as young as 3 up to 18. The main factors they consider are sugar content and portion sizes.

They focusing on portion control to ensure balanced servings. They offer a variety of drink sizes to match the needs of different age groups. For the younger children, they choose foods that are both visually appealing and easy to recognise, understanding that younger children are often drawn to familiar shapes, colours, and flavours.

For the older children, the school focuses on providing nutrient-dense options. Some of the older students are involved in professional sports and need meals that support their active lifestyles. Kirkham makes sure to offer balanced meals for these students that provide the necessary fuel for their physical and academic demands.

Allergen and Nutrition Challenges In School Catering

Allergen awareness is a huge priority at Kirkham Grammar School. They ensure a wide variety of options are available for students with different dietary needs, making it a point to accommodate a range of allergies. The school takes food safety and inclusivity seriously, being completely nut-free to ensure the safety of all students. This commitment to catering to allergies, along with their diverse and balanced menu options, reflects Kirkham’s dedication to providing a safe and healthy dining experience for every student, no matter their age or dietary requirement.

To ensure they meet nutritional requirements, Kirkham Grammar focuses on offering students balanced meals with an emphasis on reducing salt and sugar. The chefs don’t add salt to their dishes and carefully select brands that align with these values, such as Kellogg’s. Carbonated drinks are off the menu, replaced instead by a range of flavoured still waters. The kitchen has also moved away from frying, opting to steam foods instead. They incorporate more pasta, noodles, and rice into their meals.

In addition to these healthier choices, the school takes pride in its homemade baking. This thoughtful approach highlights Kirkham’s commitment to providing nutritious, wholesome meals that support students’ overall health and well-being.

Working With Trevors

We asked Denise what it’s like working with Trevors Foodservice as their wholesale distributor, and here’s what she had to say: “It’s great working with Trevor’s. There’s always close contact and regular check-ins. The product range is excellent, and they’re always asking if we need anything. Their adaptability and local presence are key. If something’s missing from an order, they go above and beyond to make sure we get it”.

We have a strong personal relationship with Kirkham Grammar School, since we know their institution well. Kirkham Grammar School also opt for ordering online through the coldweb, which they find easy to use. Denise also appreciates the reliability of being local, which gave Kirkham the confidence to expand their ordering range with us.