We are delighted to announce the advent of a new daily lunch provision, welcoming Worthing-based The Plant Based School Kitchens to the school. The PBSK are pioneers in delivering plant-based nutritious and delicious meals to children in schools. After consultation with parents and children, including a very successful tasting event, Sion have been working very closely with the company to bring them into the school kitchen.
All meals are freshly prepared and cooked in school with an exciting, and enticing, six-week menu. There are themed meals linked to curriculum projects and national
focus days, along with Friday ‘Fake-Aways’. The plant-based lunches are optional and children may still choose to bring in their own packed lunch if they wish.
Thursday 20th January saw the annual Founders’ Day being celebrated as a community with a picnic-style lunch being cooked by PBSK for the whole school.
Headteacher Steven Jeffery commented. “This week has seen the launch of the PBSK here in Sion. Its success is evidenced by the number of children opting for the meals and the excited comments from happy eaters! The PBSK gave the Junior School a taste of what was to come when they provided a traditional festive lunch before Christmas and there has been much anticipation about the start of something very exciting here at Sion.”
“This is an exciting addition to the school and the developments of our curriculum. I am personally inspired by the work of Satish Kumar and particularly his statements within his profoundly inspiring book, Soil:Soul:Society. As a place of education working hard to prepare our young people for life in the real world, exploring plant-based meals is another facet of our ever-evolving education here at Sion. Our curriculum also includes discussion of issues such as sustainability, ethical farming, fair trade and renewable energy.”
The Plant Based School Kitchen is a new enterprise from Gary and Anna Hardley of the popular Worthing restaurant, the Vegan Street Food Company. With the help of professional chefs and nutritionists, their aim is to provide healthy, plant-based, gluten-free meals to the children.
Gary Hardley of Plant Based School Kitchens explains: “With governments internationally encouraging a lower consumption of meat and an eco-friendlier way of growing and sourcing seasonal ingredients, there is a large demand to bring the increasingly-popular plant-based diet into schools and other mainstream establishments. We are working with developers in Denmark to produce a menu which will eliminate all major allergens from our menu with organic produce. We are also working closely with the local council in a combined effort to ensure a minimum carbon footprint and low food wastage is a top priority of this project.”
