Catering

Here at St Nicholas, we have an in-house catering team who produce an excellent selection of delicious and nutritious hot and cold food freshly made on site each day, available to purchase at break and lunchtimes.

Our menus run on a three weekly cycle and are usually updated three times per year, please see example menus below.  Roast dinners are available on Wednesdays and Fish and Chips on Fridays for example. In addition, there is a hot pasta counter (pasta/noodles/rice or jacket potatoes with a range of fillings), a deli counter (sandwiches, wraps, pasta pots and salads), pizza, hot paninis/wraps, fresh fruit, yogurts, traybakes/cakes and drinks including bottled water. Meal deals are also available (sandwich, crisps OR fresh fruit and a bottled drink). Students are welcome to sit and eat in the dining hall or can ‘grab and go’ and take their food to eat outside.

We have significantly reduced the use of single use plastic in recent years with the majority of packaging/cutlery being biodegradable, compostable or recycled plastic.

We offer a broad selection of items and aim to cater for a variety of dietary requirements in compliance with school food standards. Vegetarian and vegan options are available each day, and we have a meat free day on Fridays.  All items sold including those made on site and bought in (bottled drinks for example) are clearly labelled including a list of ingredients and any allergens highlighted. School should be made aware of any medical needs including allergies and intolerances so we can update students records and ensure the catering team are aware. We are more than happy to provide further information if required.

As a cashless school, all students are issued with a free catering card when they first start school.  Accounts can be loaded online via ParentPay or there is a machine within the dining hall where cash can be uploaded and/or students can check their account balances. Parent/carers must ensure there is a credit balance on their child’s account before purchases are made, otherwise students may not be served. There is a daily maximum spend of £5 however this limit can be amended on individual request.

A replacement card can be purchased for £5.  Please note, a student can still purchase items if they have temporarily lost or forgotten their card, but they may be asked to return once all students have been served so catering staff can manually locate their account when its less busy.

Students eligible for FSM (free school meals) can purchase items up to a daily allowance limit of £2.90, which is automatically added to their account each day. Students are provided with the same catering card as all students and their eligibility is recorded on the catering system discreetly.   If you would like to apply for free school meals, please do so via their website: https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/education-and-learning/school-meals.aspx  or by calling the Cheshire West Free School Meal team on 0300 123 7021.

In addition to the main canteen, our sixth form common room has vending machines available for students to purchase a selection of hot drinks, bottled cold drinks and snacks (crisps, confectionary, snack bars) paying with cash or purchase cards. There is also a kitchen facility with hot water and microwaves for students to prepare snacks and meals.