SCHOOL meals have improved so much that county chiefs have received an extra £2.6million helping of cash to make them even better.

Hampshire County Council has won a Targeted School Meals Grant from the Department for education and Skills as a reward for making hot meals healthier and more attractive.

The county council's school meals provider HC3S - which feeds children in the majority of Basingstoke's schools - will spend most of the grant on ingredients.

Over the past year, HC3S has rid the school dinner menu of 70 additives and no longer serves junk food. It has also prevented children from being able to choose every item of their meal and now serves full meals, complete with all-important vegetables.

Councillor David Kirk, the county council's executive member for education, said: "This grant will enable us to continue improving school meals.

"The quality of the food has come under intense scrutiny in recent months and we are keen to show parents that school meals in Hampshire are both delicious and healthy.

"From the positive feedback we've had, we are confident that, given time, more parents and children will choose hot meals when they see what is being achieved."

The news of the extra dollop of cash comes at the end of a year in which The Gazette launched its Healthy Kids campaign with the joint aims of improving local schoolchildren's health and highlighting problems and successes.

Cllr Kirk added that a lot of the £2.6m will cover changes that have already been made.

But it will also be used for training catering staff, improving facilities and to raise awareness of the benefits of hot meals.

"Much of the grant will pay for changes already taking place because we were one step ahead," he said.

However, he warned that prices of school meals will rise in April 2006 by 15p per day to £1.70 per meal.

He said: "Though very welcome, the grant is not enough to maintain these improvements and the high demands placed on school catering.

"The cost still represents extremely good value for money to ensure children are getting the very best start in life as far as diets are concerned."

HC3S won a Highest Standard Award from the Hyperactive Children's Support Group earlier this year for its work in reducing additives.

The issue of nutrition among schoolchildren became a hot political topic following the television broadcast of Jamie's School Dinners on Channel 4 this year, in which celebrity chef Jamie Oliver challenged the Government over the poor quality of ingredients.

First published: Thursday, December 29, 2005