Children's champion

Katherine MacAlister meets a school cook whose food i a big hit with youngsters The chicken curry was bubbling gently on the stove, the fishcakes crisping nicely in the oven, and the chocolate sponge sending up clouds of cocoa from the mixer Just the sort of menu you dream about. But this i no ordinary restaurant. This is the kitchen of Tackle Primary School, where lunch is being prepared b the indomitable Michelle Broadhurst Michelle has been cooking in school kitchens fo more than 13 years and, wherever she goes, the number of children eating school dinners increase almost overnight She is exactly the kind of dinner lady Jamie Olive would enthuse about, although Michelle says she was cooking healthy balanced meals years before he started preaching the virtues of decent school dinners "It is a lot harder work doing it this way, " she says grinning, as she peels a small mountain of potatoe for the mash. "And, of course, there is pressure t get it all done within a set time, so you really have t think about preparation and be very organised. But I know all the recipes off by heart." Michelle starts at 9.15am and finishes at 1.30pm but she only has two hours to cook because she ha to get the dining room ready for the children who come in at noon, and then tidy up afterwards There are 147 children at the school, and 90 pe cent of them regularly eat school dinners "Yes the numbers have tripled since I started, " she adds proudly, preparing dishes for the salad bar So how vital does she think good school dinners are in schools? Michelle said: "I think food is reall important and I think it helps children concentrate.