I was reading an article the other day about how people rather than governments are now choosing how we live. The example of how Jamie Oliver got our attitude to school dinners changed was given.

I think I am the only person I know who enjoyed school dinners. There were no turkey twizzlers in the 60s and 70s (I still in truth don’t know what they are) and in my primary school I remember a particularly bossy teacher who would patrol lunchtimes to make sure we ate our greens.

By the time grammar school came, food also became about power. We were sat in tables of ten and being a gang leader, I was at the top of mine. The unlucky ones at the bottom had to go to the kitchen and fetch the dishes which I and the person sat either side of me would serve out to the table. Needless to say, those in our favour got more than those we didn’t like. But we sat and ate together. Everything – including the greens – got eaten.

When the school changed its rules and allowed us to go out at lunchtime, the local baker and chippy were delighted. Hoards of us would go to the baker and buy half a loaf  and whilst walking to the chip shop, eat the bread and leave the empty shell which then got filled up to make a chip butty. I wonder whose idea it was to ‘liberate’ us in this way.

These days it’s all about Chicken Cottage.

If we are indeed in the age of people power, when are we going to engage more with our heads rather than with our ever increasing stomachs? Without checks in place, people power here has a very dangerous, even if unintended, consequence.

Not many fomd memories of school dinners, but I loved it when we got hot dogs. They were really wuff

I could not agree more. Schools' meals were so good!

I definetely had the best meat balls ever, I still dream abou them! And so sorry for my mum, but they were even better than hers!