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.
Trending
Pep Guardiola in talks over first international management role
Danny Jones
Football icon and Manchester City legend Pep Guardiola is reportedly set for his first job since leaving the Etihad Stadium, as the Catalan head coach looks like he could be set to make his move into international management.
The generational manager, who has undoubtedly become one of, if not the greatest of all time, left Man City at the end of last season after a decade in East Manchester.
Stepping away from the sky blue side with 20 trophies in 10 years, he’s won pretty much everything there is to win – at least at club level, anyway.
With that in mind, multiple outlets are now claiming that Guardiola is getting ready to make his debut on the international circuit, already being heavily linked with a role as part of ‘gli Azzurri’.
EXCLUSIVE: The FIGC has met with Pep Guardiola to convince him to take over as national team head coach, according to Sky in Italy 🚨🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/qmzjunjur4
Yes, as per Sky News’ sporting arm over in Italy, Pep is now rumoured to be the next person to take the job in their national team, which would be his first proper senior position in international football.
According to Sky, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) have already held meetings with the former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City boss.
It remains unclear how advanced talks and/or negotiations have progressed up to this point, but it is said that fellow footballing veteran and AC Milan legend turned FIGC technical director, Paolo Maldini, has already travelled to meet the 55-year-old.
Believed to have been joined by former teammate and right-hand man Leonardo Araújo – who previously served as director at PSG – it looks to be more a case of whether Pep wants the job rather than if Italy want him.
From announcing a documentary series covering his final season at Man City, to even launching a dedicated ‘Decade of Pep’ fashion collection, it’s fair to say that both the club and the fan base are bidding a bittersweet goodbye.
Pep has already made it clear that he can’t see himself ever managing the Spanish national team, remarking: “I am a Catalan. I don’t see myself ever managing Spain.”
Meanwhile, other names rumoured as options for the Italian manager’s job include Andrea Pirlo and a return by fellow ex-MCFC boss, Roberto Mancini. Can you see Pep pipping any of these to the post?
As for his former club and ‘second home’, Cityzens will be glad to hear that while it may be all change over at the Etihad Campus, there is plenty to be hopeful about – including some steps more in the right direction when it comes to tickets.
When Manchester City’s cheap tickets for £10 or less go live, and how to get your hands on them
Danny Jones
For those who missed the news, Man City recently announced a new tier of affordable tickets for those living in the East Manchester area, essentially providing those living in the local area with match experiences for just a tenner.
In fact, those eligible for concessions can grab a seat for only £7.50 and nearby kids under 18 for merely a fiver as part of the scheme.
Now THIS is the kind of stuff we want to see from football clubs.
Essentially based on postcode proximity to the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City supporters who fit the native criteria can put their name in for numerous Premier League, domestic cup and European games this season; but how exactly does it work?
Put simply, Mancs living in the Manchester City Council wards listed below, which immediately surround the ever-expanding home ground and wider Campus, can apply:
Miles Platting & Newton Heath
Ancoats & Beswick
Ardwick
Clayton & Openshaw
Gorton & Abbey Hey
Man City local residents scheme – how does it work?
For starters, it’s worth noting that between 100-500 unreserved tickets will be put aside for each game in the coming 2026/27 campaign, all of which will be assigned via a random ballot.
Those who meet the criteria (i.e. live in the aforementioned areas) also don’t need to have an official Matchday Membership; you simply need a Cityzens account, which can be created totally free.
Once your address has been verified, you can enter the ballots for your chosen fixtures, and then it’s just a case of keeping your fingers crossed that your name gets pulled out of that.
You can see a full list of FAQs, along with the relevant terms and conditions, right HERE.
You can expect even more Man City Women’s matches on the biggest stage following their latest title.
When do they go live?
At present, tickets for upcoming Manchester City games will be available across the board from 10am GMT on Tuesday 21 July.
However, fans are being encouraged to sign up to the club’s mailing list for all news and ticketing updates, especially when it comes to this new localised discount category.
With the Etihad currently in the middle of a major redevelopment, including even more seats up in the newly expanded North Stand, Blues should stand an even better chance of getting along to a game or two than ever.
It’s also worth noting that the section of the arena has been officially named after their beloved manager and club legend, Pep Guardiola, who left the serial winners this summer after a decade – a farewell period which will now be covered in an upcoming documentary.
With new head coach Enzo Maresca having now returned to the club in the top position after previous roles as assistant and U23s/EDS boss, plenty will be hoping to be there for the start of this next chapter for the Blues.
They’ll also be welcoming back their Champions League, Ballon d’Or, Euro 2024, Club World Cup and now World Champion in Rodri for the fast-approaching 26/27 term.
Emily Sergeant -
18th August 2020 
