How to Create Award-winning, Plant-powered Menus: Top Tips for Schools

Creating nutritious, sustainable, and appealing menus for schools can be challenging, but it's also a fantastic opportunity to promote climate-friendly and healthy eating habits. ProVeg UK’s School Plates Awards offer a rewarding framework to help schools and caterers develop plant-powered menus that benefit both children and the planet. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to create award-winning, plant-powered menus based on the Awards criteria.

Creating the Ultimate, Plant-forward Menu

We’ve identified three main action categories to support school caterers in creating a plant-powered menu:

1. Nudging Positive Behaviours

• Descriptive language: Use child-friendly language to highlight the flavour, texture, and provenance of vegetarian and plant-based dishes.
• Avoid negative labels: Avoid terms like “meat-free” or “vegetarian” in dish names.
• Positive placement: Position plant-based options prominently and encourage their selection.
• Engage students and parents: Offer tasting sessions and promote plant-based choices through posters and other visual aids.

2. Meat Reduction

• Meat-free days: Implement regular meat-free and fish-free days, calling them something more positive like “planet-friendly days”.
• Remove processed meats: Eliminate processed meats from the menu entirely.
• Blend meat with plant proteins: Reduce meat content in dishes by blending with plant-based proteins.
• Educational workshops: Ensure key staff participate in ProVeg’s plant-based cooking workshops.

3. Plant-Based Promotion

• Diverse options: Offer a variety of plant-based main meals, sides, and desserts daily.
• Clear identification: Use symbols like (v) and (ve) to identify vegetarian and plant-based dishes.
• Nutritional balance: Ensure all plant-based meals are nutritionally balanced and appealing.
• Dairy alternatives: Provide plant-based dairy alternatives at no extra cost.

Get an Award

The ProVeg School Plates Awards recognise and reward schools for their efforts in making menus healthier and more sustainable. Participation is free and involves submitting your menus for review and making simple changes where necessary. Menus are scored against a checklist of evidence-based actions, with points awarded for each action taken. Accumulating enough points earns you a Bronze, Silver, or Gold award, which you can proudly display on your menu.

Any caterer preparing school food in the UK, including local authority caterers, private catering companies, multi-academy trusts, and individual schools with in-house caterers, can participate. Be sure to state whether your menus adhere to national nutrition guidelines when submitting.

Conclusion

Creating an award-winning, plant-powered menu is not only beneficial for children's health but also supports environmental sustainability. By following the guidelines provided by ProVeg UK and actively participating in the School Plates Awards, you can make a significant positive impact. Start today by sending us your current menus, implementing the recommended actions, and aiming for that coveted Gold award. Your efforts will be recognised and celebrated, inspiring other schools to follow suit.

For more information or to submit your menus, contact ProVeg UK at [email protected].