Ballymoney High canteen staff are the ‘toast’ of the industry

The Ballymoney staff were named Northern Ireland Post Primary School Kitchen of the Year at the prestigious Northern Ireland School Caterers’ Association (NISCA) Awards Ceremony held at the Odyssey in Belfast.

Mrs Helen Paul, Unit Supervisor, said she was absolutely delighted that her kitchen had won such a prestigious award. She explained that it would not have been possible to win the competition without the support and co-operation of her team of hear-working staff.

Mrs Paul described how she and her staff work with the pupils, teachers, staff and the local community to improve the pupils’ development and performance by encouraging them to eat more nutritious foods. By providing a wide range of options from the very popular sandwich bar or the new pasta/noodle bar (the first of its kind in the local area), pupils are able to make their own healthy choices.

Posters produced by the pupils are used to decorate the canteen and to illustrate key messages such as getting your “5 a day” and eating foods low in salt, sugar and fat.

Over the past year, the canteen has hosted events such as a Big Breakfast theme day, a Valentine’s theme day held with the support of Jimmy Walker from the British Heart Foundation and a theme day to celebrate the Giro D’Italia where kitchen staff and the canteen were decked in pink and an Italian menu was served.