Do you have fond memories of your school dinners, or did they scar you for life so much that you’ve tried to erase them from your memory ever since?
We have to admit that they make us nostalgic whatever way though.
In the week that Bernard Matthews officially announced the #ComebackOfTheCentury in the return of cult-classic school dinner food – the Turkey Twizzler – we thought there is no better time to take a trip down memory lane and have a look back at what was put on our multi-coloured plastic divider trays at lunch time as kids.
Both the retro and the slightly more modern options – we’ll always remember our school dinners.
This list of course isn’t definitive of every school dinner at every primary and secondary school across Greater Manchester spanning multiple decades, so don’t get too enraged if we’ve missed off your favourite food from back in the day.
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These are some of the classics though.
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Turkey Twizzlers
Bernard Matthews
Could we really start this list with anything else?
Before they were ripped from the menu for being too unhealthy for kids by chef Jamie Oliver in 2005, and then manufacturing ceased all together a few years later, Turkey Twizzlers pretty much summed up school dinners.
Why is it that all school dinners, especially primary school dinners, came drenched in beans?
And when we say drenched, we don’t just mean on the side of your plate where you expect them to be, we mean drenched. Baked beans are a classic accompaniment to any meal here in the UK, but perhaps none more so than at school.
We’re not complaining though.
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Cheese Whirls
That soggy cheesy/potato pastry combination will forever be ingrained in our minds.
If it wasn’t a cheese whirl served up at your school, then it was a slice of cheese pie, or perhaps some sort of cheese flan instead.
Whatever way, it was definitely soggy.
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Pasta King
Pasta King
One for the 00s-10s secondary school/college students out there – Pasta King.
Despite the fact it was about 75% water at the bottom and it always left you questioning why it couldn’t have just been drained out first, Pasta King was still a top-tier edition to the lunch time menu.
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Turkey Dinosaurs
If it wasn’t Turkey Twizzlers, then it was Turkey Dinosaurs.
They’re still made by manufacturers Bernard Matthews to this day, but probably don’t make their way onto school dinner plates quite as often. They never got quite as bad of a rep as Turkey Twizzlers, but maybe that’s because Jamie Oliver just didn’t want to force the turkey kind of dinosaurs into extinction after the real ones already had.
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Shout out to the other classic school dinner foods of potato smiley faces, spaghetti hoops and chips in the picture too.
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Crinkle-Cut Carrots
The carrots were always cut like this.
Why? Was it to make them look a little more exciting and appealing to kids? We’ve no idea.
The only thing we can guess at is that they’re probably bought cut like that in the packet, because we’ve never seen a carrot grow in that shape.
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School Dinner Sponge
Need we say more?
There’s perhaps no other school dinner dessert that was so well-loved by all than the classic ‘School Dinner Sponge Cake’ with the icing and multi-coloured sprinkles, and even to this day, people all across the UK are trying their hands at recreating the recipe at home.
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Angel Delight
AKA pink custard
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It was commonly known by kids as the ‘pink custard’, but is that really what it was? According to the Angel Delight packaging, it’s just described as a “dessert”, which really doesn’t give much away at all.
Not that it matters though – Angel Delight was a welcomed addition to any school dinner menu.
There are also multiple other flavours in the Angel Delight range, including chocolate, banana and butterscotch, but strawberry seemed to be the winner with lunch staff in schools and for that reason, it will always be known as ‘pink custard’.
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Arctic Roll
Arctic Roll / Birds Eye
You knew it was a good day when Arctic Roll was on the menu.
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We’re not really sure why it was such a taste combination revelation because in theory, it really shouldn’t work should it? And yes, nine times out of ten the cake was really dry, but we loved it anyway.
If ice cream and cake is an acceptable choice, then why not just stick the ice cream in the cake?
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Choc Ices
Choc Ices – who can forget that paper-thin blue and white striped packet?
In contradiction to the excitement you felt when Arctic Roll was on the menu, Choc Ices always just seemed to be a bit of a let down, didn’t they? Like a cop-out dessert chosen at the last minute, but looking back now though, we probably gave them a bit of a hard time.
A Choc Ice would go down quite well right about now.
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Viewers find just ONE flaw with ‘perfect’ Gavin and Stacey finale
Daisy Jackson
Gavin and Stacey aired its last-ever special on Christmas Day, an hour-and-a-half-long farewell to the characters so loved by most of the British public.
The hit series, which follows the lives and loves of Gavin and Smithy in Essex and Stacey and Nessa in Wales (along with all their hilarious, familiar family dynamics), returned after five years for a final send-off.
Gavin and Stacey: The Finale has been hailed a ‘perfect’ ending, with emotional scenes that moved viewers to tears of laughter, nostalgia and sadness.
But there was one flaw, one missed opportunity, that viewers can’t stop pointing out.
In the final episode, which picks up five years after Smithy (James Corden) proposed to Nessa (Ruth Jones) in a cliff-hanger that had us all shouting at our tellies, we’re back in Barry and in the frantic midst of wedding preparations. But whose wedding is it…?
Sadly it quickly transpires in the episode that Smithy is going ahead with his wedding to Sonia, a pretty and prim but passive aggressive Essex girl who has been named as one of TV’s best villains.
(Side note – Laura Aikman, who plays Sonia, kept her return in the show a complete secret even from her family – look at the moment they found out here).
Neil the Baby singing in the Gavin and Stacey finale. Credit: BBC
Throughout Gavin and Stacey: The Reunion, we see how Smithy’s relationship with his son Neil, now a teenager, has blossomed, with the teen singing at his wedding to Sonia and taking on an apprenticeship with his dad.
For almost 20 years, Neil The Baby has been a crucial part of the Gavin and Stacey storyline throughout and is even still played by the same actor, keeping Smithy and Nessa, who co-parent him, intrinsically linked.
So when he suddenly goes ‘missing’ during the climax of the finale, fans were pretty fuming.
In the dramatic final scenes, Smithy runs out of his wedding and goes to find Nessa, realising that she has been his true love all along.
How do we explain to Beyoncé that a character called Neil the Baby on BBC had most of the UK more interested than her performance of ‘Blackbird’ ? https://t.co/Cv6Zzpwpk6
But despite departing in a huge coach (oh yeah, Dave Coaches is back), he weirdly leaves their son behind?! Gavin and Stacey also just abandon their children at the cancelled wedding.
Smithy and Nessa finally, finally get together in a beautiful moment with a great monologue from Smithy, and their own son isn’t there to witness it. Wild.
One person said: “Gavin and Stacey was actual perfection apart from a tiny thing. Why didn’t Neil the Baby get on the bus to get Nessa? They were his parents and it would have been perfect him seeing Smithy propose! It’s just a very minor thought probably me being way too picky!”
Neil the baby and Gavin and Stacey's kids at the cancelled wedding after the grown ups leave to find Nessa pic.twitter.com/deX86ahALY
Gavin and Stacey was actual perfection apart from a tiny thing. Why didn’t Neil the Baby get on the bus to get Nessa? They were his parents and it would have been perfect him seeing Smithy propose! It’s just a very minor thought probably me being way too picky! #GavinAndStaceypic.twitter.com/aUiNSHsLxZ
Oldham Athletic owner praised for ‘heartwarming’ Christmas gesture
Danny Jones
Amidst all the festive fixture congestion and travel drama, the lovely side of football can often get lost this time of year, but the owner of Oldham Athletic FC has gone viral for reminding everyone of what’s important this Christmas.
The Latics faced off against Braintree Town in the National League in their last game before Christmas on Saturday, 21 December, walking away with a 2-0 win on the road to send the travelling fans home with an early stocking filler.
However, it wasn’t the result that fans and supporters all over the country have been talking about, it was a small but heartfelt gesture from Oldham owner Frank Rothwell who was in attendance for the pre-Christmas away game that has left people applauding him and the values now instilled around the club.
What a difference a bit of recognition, gratitude and simple kindness can make, eh?
As you can see, the 74-year-old entrepreneur (best known for founding the Manchester Cabins portable buildings company) didn’t just send out a Christmas message via club media or record a quick video as many other teams still struggle to put the effort into, he stayed behind to thank every single supporter.
Shaking hands and offering out hugs, all with a sincere enthusiasm and generally lovely demeanour, the Oldham native – donning his distinctive blue club flat cap – made sure to wish each and every one of them a merry Christmas before the nearly five-hour drive home.
Just downright wholesome stuff this, isn’t it?
Reacting to the video which has been reshared countless times online, one person said: “As a former Oldham resident it’s nice to see someone at the top care about the club, the residents and the town in general. It’s been a long time since that has been the case”; another added, “A nice gesture by the owner… After all, it’s the fans who make the game special.”
A third user wrote, “Oldham is a very lucky club. I had the pleasure of a chat with Frank in the tent at PP. I can honestly say one of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve met.” A subsequent reply underneath the comment read: “Hate these lot but f*** me I’m jealous, what a genuine bloke he seems to be.”
Hope you get back soon, Oldham belong in the Football league.
Rothwell completed his takeover of struggling Oldham Athletic back in 2022 after they were relegated from the EFL (English Football League) after 115 years.
Spirits were understandably low at Boundary Park back then and things are still far from perfect, but the sentiment around the club now is a much more uplifting one, as Rothwell and his board look to have really ingratiated themselves among the fans and the community.
Micky Mellon’s side were set to take on York City in their final game of 2024 on Boxing Day but the match was ultimately postponed due to intense foggy conditions which plagued many of Thursday’s games. They will now take on Hartlepool away on New Year’s Day.
You can pretty much guarantee Frank will be along to watch that one too. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the football club owners keeping the heart of the beautiful game alive.
Emily Sergeant -
18th August 2020 
