An interview with Mrs Wilmshurst the school cook

Mrs Wilmshurst, the Riverview Junior School cook, could be considered one of the most important members of staff, after all, she feeds us every day and makes sure our school dinners are nutritious and tasty. Food is a very important part of our day and Mrs Wilmshurst does everything she can to make our lunches fabulously delicious. Blog Club wanted to find out more about the lady who has been looking after the Riverview Junior School pupils for the past 22 years, so we went off to investigate…

What is your favourite food?

Roast dinner. (Cook didn’t have to stop twice to think about her answer!)

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Pork.

What is the food you dislike most?

Pasta which is odd as it’s one of the dishes I have to prepare the most as the children love it but me, I can’t bear it!

Is being a school cook a family tradition?

No, my parents weren’t school cooks before me.

Was it always your dream to become a school cook?

Not really, my first job was in a local factory called DRG Sacks in Northfleet. From there, I went on to work in a restaurant in Maidstone. Then a job became available for a school cook, my children were at the same school so it worked well for me, although my son disowned me!

When you had your education, did you enjoy it?

I should say yes but I was dyslexic so I didn’t enjoy English. I was good at maths though and I liked the practical subjects, like art and woodwork.

How often do the menus for school dinners change?

They used to change yearly but now it’s 2/3 times a year, that’s every two terms. Each menu has to be thoroughly analysed and I have a tick list to go through to make sure there are no mistakes and the meals served are perfectly healthy.

For example, I have a limit of fried foods only twice a week, I have to serve dairy food three times a week and prepare two vegetables every day. I also have to make sure they have fish once every 3 weeks

How do you choose what to cook?

I do what the children like.

What are the children’s favourites?

Tuesday and Thursday are the most popular days as on Tuesday we serve a roast dinner and on Thursday it’s chips day!

What is the biggest amount of school dinners you have prepared?

World Book Day was one of our most recent popular days where we served 271 dinners! The children did enjoy pointing out to me that I had made a mistake on the BFG menu by calling it BFC! They’re a clever lot! Other popular lunches are the Chinese food day and of course Christmas which is the busiest lunch in the entire year.

Are you interested in trying out Mrs Wilmshurst’s school dinners? Over half the school love them. Visit Riverview Junior School website for lots of information including how to pay using the School Gateway app. Find out if you are one of the lucky children eligible for free school dinners and discover the upcoming menus too. Keep an eye out for the cooks ‘Fun Lunches’ as everyone loves to join in those!