App boosts school meal take up at school near Oundle

School catering firm Dolce has increased school meal take-up by an average of 25 per cent over two academic terms across 90 schools in Northamptonshire, including Glapthorn CE Primary School near Oundle.

The company has strict rules against microwave meals and all food is cooked on-site either in the schools’ kitchen or specially designed ‘pod’ kitchens located in the playgrounds. As well as making the food more appetising, Dolce has tried to make the school dinner experience more appealing and fun for children by decorating the serving hatches as tree houses and introducing herb gardens.

Parents also benefit from Dolce’s exclusive relationship with Live Kitchen, a user-friendly app that allows them to view menus, pre-order and pay online, update allergy information and offer feedback.

Tony Vale, Dolce’s regional manager of Northamptonshire, said: “We offer traditional school favourites and new world dishes cooked properly. Kids enjoy our food and that gives me a lot of job satisfaction. It was challenging rolling out Live Kitchen across the 90 schools but the feedback has been really positive and made it much more convenient for parents in the county.”