March 2025 will see the launch of a major exhibition at the Food Museum on the theme of School Dinners. From nutrition and popular culture to government policy and campaigners, the exhibition will take you on a journey to explore the past, present and future of school food. 

Does the thought of school food fill you with dread or nostalgic delight? Did you have packed lunches instead of school dinners? Have you ever thought about how school meals came to be? Should school meals be free for everyone? We hope to discover the answers to these questions and more besides. 

We are working with a range of partners including the Quadram Institute, Norse Catering, Museum of the Home and the School Meals Service Project (University College London, the University of Sheffield and University of Wolverhampton), as well as young people and the people making school meals but we’d also like your help. 

Did you work in school dinners? Do you have objects (such as school dinner staff uniforms, packed lunch boxes, historic recipes) that you would consider lending to the exhibition? Have you campaigned for school food? If so, we’d love to hear from you – please get in touch at schooldinners@foodmuseum.org.uk  

Image credit – Norse Catering