Gateshead Council’s in-house, award winning School Catering Service provides over 11,000 high quality, nutritious and freshly prepared meals every day throughout the borough. The service has worked with local suppliers to ensure their produce is used within menus benefiting the local economy, as well as being one of the first in the country to publish a map detailing where it sourced its food. Many innovations have been introduced to ensure the catering service is continually improving - from employing a Development Chef to work on menus and craft skills with staff, bespoke branding and marketing for use in dining halls and the electronic pupil choice system which allows pupils to order their meal on an interactive whiteboard each morning, saving on food waste and school admin time.