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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Super League ‘Rivals Round’ fixtures confirmed, with two big North West clashes
Danny Jones
The Betfred Super League (BSL) ‘Rivals Round’ games for 2026 have been confirmed, with two big regional clashes coming in time for the spring.
Returning for 2026, the annual meeting of multiple teams coming up against their fiercest and most historic rivals will land on round seven of the calendar over the traditional Easter weekend.
Despite the competition having sadly lost Salford Red Devils following their forced relegation, local rugby fans will still be glad to see the borough of Wigan, as well as neighbouring Cheshire and nearby Merseyside clubs, coming up against each other in what is a highly anticipated fixture on the calendar.
Announcing the now fully confirmed matches this week, the total of seven matches are set to be played between Friday, 3 April and the following Sunday, 5 April.
In the Super League’s own words, there are few gameweeks more box office than the Rivals Round – “where the games mean more, hit harder and have the ability to divide towns and families.”
After the inaugural edition of the modern round in 2021, this year saw the division record a best-ever attendance of 86,080 across a six-match period, and with an extra game being played next season, we’re expecting more ground to be broken.
“The most intense and historic rivalries will go head-to-head with huge crowds anticipated, emotions running high and everyone expected to bring their A game”, say the BSL.
Huddersfield Giants v York Knights – Saturday, 4 April
Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity – Sunday, 5 April
One of the most notable exclusions among the slate, of course, is that of Salford Red Devils, as various players and staff members continue to leave the club during this increasingly concerning and deep period of uncertainty.
Salford supporters have given a clear response following the decisive drop in IMG gradings:
Although they are now longer in rugby league’s premier domestic tier, Salford are still expected to take part in the Challenge Cup tournament, which begins in January.
Betfred and the RFL revealed the most recent ties on Monday, 24 November, with the Devils due to face either Royal Navy Rugby or Hammersmith Hills Hoists in the second round.
Meanwhile, with the new campaign kicking off in February, rugby fans will only have to wait a couple of months to witness the upcoming instalments in the various rivalries.
Safe to say it’s going to be a spicy Easter break.
A Greater Manchester campaigner is calling on the government to get rid of VAT on energy bills
Danny Jones
With the colder months now well and truly upon us, a local campaigner is calling on the UK government to scrap VAT on energy bills across the country.
The nation is still in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, and besides grocery shopping, business rates and eating out still climbing, one of the biggest hits to the wallet continues to be at home, thanks to the cost of gas and electricity.
With that in mind, and as we approach the ever-challenging festive period when purse strings feel tighter than ever, industry expert and Bolton-born entrepreneur Corin Dalby is making a fresh push for crucial aid and urging Brits to put digital pen to paper.
Sharing the petition link on social media – which has been taken up by more than 42,000 people online – Dalby is asking others who believe domestic residents deserve a much-needed let-off to sign the Change.org document and help scrap VAT on energy bills in the UK.
Introducing himself and the idea in the description beneath the petition, the Greater Manchester native writes: “My name is Corin Dalby, and last year I successfully campaigned for hospices in the UK to receive an extra £100 million of government funding, with the support of 37,254 signatures.
“Now I’m calling on the Government to axe the 5% VAT we are all forced to pay on our energy bills.”
Dalby, 56, is the co-founder and CEO of non-profit energy company, Box Power CIC (community interest company), and has seen significant money from FCA fines go towards palliative care facilities since December last year.
Pointing out that the current energy secretary and former Prime Ministerial candidate, Ed Miliband, has previously hinted that his party would be open to this possibility, he goes on to add: “It’s vital that we hold them to this, to bring some much-needed relief to millions of households.”
While the initial goal aligned with the hope of getting enough signatures to put this bill forward in time for the most recent Labour budget (revealed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday, 26 November), the initiative could still provide vital support this winter – especially for those worst off.
As mentioned, the 2025 autumn statement has now been shared publicly following some early leaks, and despite including positives like a lift on minimum wage, as well as benefit increases, there have been much bigger reactions to aspects such as the hits being taken by pensioners and more.
The 2025 autumn budget has been largely underpinned by raising taxes by an estimated £26 billion.
If anything, the announcement has made the plea from Dalby and those in agreement more poignant than ever – and there are, indeed, plenty of people in his camp.
Sharing his most recent update back in October on social media, Corin said: “Overjoyed to see 20,000 signatures in just 3 hours.
“Scrapping the 5% VAT will directly save every hospice [an area he’s already successfully advocated for in the past], house and care home in the country, so who will help us to knock this out of the park and help the most vulnerable in our country and quickly smash 100,000?
“If you wish to help make a difference, please support this petition by just adding your name and [circulating] to like-minded contacts and repost this if possible.”
If you agree with the petition, you can sign via the official Change.org link right HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
18th August 2020 
