We ask Birmingham: What was your favourite school dinner?

Many of us will have fond memories of our school meals, as well as lunchtime hijinks. I take a trip down memory lane with the people of Birmingham as they reminisce on their favourite school dinners, and find out their thoughts on the importance of school meals for kids.

Alex says: “I used to actually be very picky. I used to hate most my school meals - but there was one I used to really love. I used to love the shepherd’s pie that my school did. That was my favourite. The mashed potatoes on their own tasted like cardboard. But the shepherd’s pie. I remember that still today.

“Like that’s probably the one thing that was almost as good as home cooking for me in school. I love the shepherd’s pie. For school meals apart from that - I mean, I hope they still do it. That’s what everyone needs to be on the Pasta King in senior school. I mean, as everyone knows, that was the watery stuff. That wasn’t the one.

“But I do think they could do a little better. Get a little more gourmet, a little more seasoning in the school meals today. But definitely the shepherds pie was my favourite and the memories of school dinner was always a fun social time. And I think a lot of the time they kept me in though when I refused this dinner, because I was very picky.”

Kim says: “Well, back in my day, we used to have a limited amount of salads. So we all used to queue up to get the salad because that was the most healthiest thing. And being in an all girls school, as well. We were all very conscious of how we’re supposed to look.

“And so that is my main memory of school other than the dessert, which was Chocolate Crunch with pink custard. Always remember that. And when I left school I trained to be chef, one of the first things I learned to make was chocolate crumb, curry and pink custard.”

Dominic says: “Oh, God this is going back a few years! My favourite school meal was actually sausage and mash because it was that or sandwiches. And the desserts - I don’t know like custard, the green custard that they used to have. But my mom used to always make me have sandwiches because it’s cheaper. “