ASPENS

We are always in the mood for good food!

Catering at Ralph Allen School

We are Aspens Services, a market leading contract catering company specialising in school food. 

We only work in the education sector so we know what our customers want.  Mixing this knowledge with an understanding of what’s hot in the food world sparks creativity and excitement in our chefs. Our kitchens provide delicious home cooked food each day and cater for individual dietary requirements. 

Streateries is our secondary meal offer where everyday has a theme. Featuring Global cuisines, customised offers and food on the move, we are bang up to date with the current trends whilst still ensuring that there is a place on the menu for the comfort of our 

familiar school dining hall favourites. Each day the menu includes as standard a street food dish, a hand held version, vegetarian/vegan choices along with a selection of sides. 

Our Deli Kitchen brand is for the popular standard Aspens hot and cold offers. This can range from Authentic Italian pizza and pasta, Hacienda Mexicana’s burritos, rice pots and sides and Voulez Poulet’s house rub chicken, dogs and sides through to our range of healthy sandwiches, paninis, wraps, jacket potatoes, salads, fruit and cold dessert pots. 

Menu 

The school menu rotates on a three-week basis and refreshes for Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer seasons.   

Free School Meals 

You may be entitled to FREE SCHOOL MEALS  

Please click the link to find out more https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

If your child is entitled to Free School Meals then please see further information below on what this includes:

1. The money is loaded onto the students' accounts just before lunch time, which means that it cannot be used during breaktime (11:05am).

2. The students do not need to let anybody know that they are FSM students, they simply select the food they want and scan their thumb at the till.

3. The free meal contribution entitles them to a meal deal, which consists of a main meal (or sandwich), a piece of fruit and tray bake dessert.

4. It is important that they purchase all items at the same time, because it costs more to buy each element separately.

5. Free meal contributions also give students 50p at breakfast time, which will entitle them to some toast.  This is in addition to free porridge that all students are entitled to in the morning breakfast club from 8.15am. 

6. If the money is not used, it is then taken off the student's account again, so it will not accumulate.

Special Diets 

Special diets are an integral part of our catering provision, whether as a result of an ethical or religious belief or a food intolerance or allergy.  To register any special diets as a requirement please complete and return the special diets form to the school as soon as possible. 

Our Planet 

We work closely with our clients and suppliers to be as environmentally friendly as we can. By making lots of small changes, we can make a big difference. We care about the future and continue to focus on responsible sourcing, using seasonal produce, increasing our focus on plant-based recipes, making our menus more sustainable, keeping waste to a minimum and reusing and recycling to reduce the impact we have. 

Join Our Team 

It takes some pretty special people to make sure that we give our school children and young adults great food everyday.  We are keen to add to our teams with talented people and so if you are looking for an opportunity to challenge yourself and learn new skills, let us know. 

Timings

Payment System

Sample Menu 2024/25

Enquiries about Catering and Parent Feedback

Pricing