Pupils and staff at Westbury Junior School ate healthy and local food today as part of a free school meals initiative.

At the moment 90 of the 253 children at the school in Oldfield Park eat school dinners, a number which assistant headteacher, Claire Moore, is keen to increase.

She said: “We’re very lucky because we have our own catering manager and she produces all home-cooked food, which is made freshly on the premises.”

Pupils were asked what their favourite meal and dessert were with curry and ice cream coming out on top, so on school catering manager, Marilyn Abbott, cooked up the courses for free.

Mrs Abbott, who has worked at the school for 26 years, said: “We understand that sometimes parents can’t afford to pay for school meals if they have a few children at school, but I think we offer value for money.”

A school meal costs £1.70 for either a hot meal such as lasagne, pasta and roast dinner, or a baguette with a choice of fillings, and a pudding.

Willow Nossiter, eight, who was trying a school meal for the first time, normally has a packed lunch containing sandwiches, chocolate and fruit. She said: “I liked it because it had some vegetables and salad next to it which made the meal nice to eat.”

The school get all their meat from local butchers CJ Robbins, in Market Place, Warminster.