A PRIMARY school food development manager from York put her catering skills to the test cooking school meals in the House of Commons kitchens.

Lisa Green, who works at Clifton Green primary and has previously worked in London restaurants, was picked to spend a day cooking for MPs in one of the ten kitchens in parliament as part of national school meals week.

Lisa said: “It was a great honour to represent school food and particularly Clifton Green primary in the House of Commons.

“Having recently taken school catering in-house the school has worked tirelessly to raise the standards, all of which fits well with our motto of Better Never Stops.

“With a recent silver award for our catering it was a fitting opportunity to showcase the skills and the food from a Yorkshire primary school in London.”

At Clifton Green, a school of 350 children, Lisa said about 250 youngsters regularly have school dinners and the new arrangement means they now use local suppliers including meat from Acomb’s Ged Bells Butchers, Goodness Growing vegetables who are based near Sheriff Hutton and Cross of York for fish.

Lisa said: “Our uptake has increased and the general feeling is that children prefer the food.

“The Commons trip was great – it was great to see similar salads which we serve at school being made for the MPs, Middle Eastern couscous, and Asian noodles.

“It felt like home from home apart from the expanse of equipment in the Commons’ kitchen – 27 Combi ovens.

“On my return to school many of the children spoke to me about my experience and had questions about what it was like.

“It is great to tell them that I cooked for the current MPs but that my heart lies with cooking for future MPs and Prime Ministers who may come from Clifton Green Primary school.”