Even though Ideal School Meals is the largest provider of primary school meals in Lincolnshire, building strong working relationships with each of our customers, on an individual basis, is important to us.

We tailor our catering service to each schools requirements. We understand that every school and setting is different and we provide a wholesome service whether we’re catering for a small rural school, a large town school or a school that serves children with special needs.

Our menus are fully compliant; we follow the government guidelines to ensure we offer children healthy and balanced meals at lunchtimes. Our menus are externally audited against the standards and compliance certification is available on request. 

We believe food can be fun, tasty, balanced and healthy, and our menu team are always creating new and exciting dishes to avoid children becoming bored with a rotating menu. 

Our dedicated team of specialists and experienced staff provide unlimited support within all aspects of our service. We are one of the only providers that cater for children with dietary requirements. Our allergy trained team creates meals that work alongside the menu to cater for children with medical, religious or ethical beliefs. We count carbohydrates for diabetic children, adapt meals suitable for allergies and intolerances, adjust ingredients for religious beliefs and provide options for those who chose not to consume meat or dairy.

We have a track record of increasing the uptake of hot school meals. Our meals are created with fresh and, where possible, local ingredients. The lack of processed sauces and ingredients means our meals look and taste amazing.

We support schools with promoting school meals; we understand how vital meal uptake is to school funding, and we’re always working on new ways to market our menus. Our unique and interactive website provides areas for parents, children and schools to discover more about healthy eating, recipes, games and quizzes, regular articles on trending food items and healthy lifestyle habits.

Strict food safety procedures are followed, from order processing to delivery. 100% of our staff are trained in food safety. Under normal circumstances, we operate an open-door policy and customers are welcome to visit our kitchens at any time – something we hope to continue with, in the not too distant future.