ISBA

87 @the_isba Annual Conference 2021 ADVERTORIAL Meals can be cooked easily by school teams with minimum training and as Mr Stone explains “consistency, guaranteed supply and the sheer array of choice” is very important to them. ‘Free-from’ is of vital importance to those pupils who live with allergies Specialist dietary needs are at the forefront of the new provision as Mr Stone reinforces: “We take specialist needs such as allergens very seriously. It’s very important to us to be entirely safe in what we can offer the children in the knowledge that meals are guaranteed to be ‘free-from’ the 14 known allergens. “Readers will be very aware of Natasha’s Law, which came into effect in October although we have always held a very rigorous policy in this respect. We need to be 100 percent assured that there is no risk to any of our children. Our children and their parents need absolute peace of mind in this respect”. There can be no compromise in this area. “With our new provision, we can be absolutely safe in the meals we serve to pupils who live with allergies – this is of strong benefit to us and makes catering so much easier than looking to prepare individual meals from scratch in the kitchen each day. Guaranteed, consistent and sustainable supply As media headlines are packed with stories around driver shortages, supply chain issues and increasing food inflation, Mr Stone says: “The past 18 months has also shown us the value of consistent, guaranteed supply as the pandemic continues to disrupt the food chain with continuing turbulence around cost and availability. “It’s a real relief to us to know that our supply is guaranteed, and we know our cost points with which to budget. “It’s also about values”, he says. “We are a Catholic school that holds strong values around helping the world interact with resources in a kind and gentle manner. For us, it was important to partner with a catering solution that supports our environmental and sustainability ethos. This ethos is echoed by parents, children and teachers alike and our environmental policies provide the complete peace of mind they are partnering with a like- minded organisation. “When we chose apetito, not only was the quality of the food a winner but the company’s values stood out to us, such as using 100 percent green energy at its Wiltshire home and making a leading commitment to net zero pledges. This was deeply significant for us”. apetito is proud of its Independent Schools Association’s Gold Preferred Supplier status and is seeing swift growth in the schools sector for its unique service and supply. Mandy Chambers, who leads apetito’s fast-growing Independent School’s Division, says that for schools to have complete confidence that they are giving their children the most nutritionally beneficial meals, with an exceptional variety of dishes to choose from is becoming more and more important. “We are committed to providing schools with the right service for the right budget to deliver an exceptional and nutritious dining experience for their pupils at mealtimes” she says. “We have more than 60 years’ experience in the development of nutritious meals and we know that consistent, quality meals that offer nutritional value whilst saving time and labour is paramount”. If you would like to know more about apetito’s service to schools and how the team can help YOUR business, visit www.apetito.co.uk/schools time is now required for food preparation, as the high-quality meals are cooked in a conveniently short period of time, requiring less manpower to produce the same number of meals. The added benefit of seeing cost savings and efficiencies, whilst also providing a higher quality of exceptionally nutritious meals has been remarkable. “It has driven efficiencies all round” says Mr Stone, “whether in our staff’s time, ingredient cost or in minimising waste, but the key thing here is the quality. All those points are redundant if the quality and nutritional value of the meals aren’t right”. The school’s team reports that shepherd’s pie, fish pie and the roast chicken dinner are all very popular along with the range of pasta dishes. Pupils also love the cakes, which are low in sugar, and say they “taste homemade”.