Why we chose this dish
Our Pupil’s Choice
NEW FOR 2026!!!! Are you a pupil trying this dish for the first time?
We would love to hear your feedback. Please let the cook at your school know and/or message louise.gillam@torfaen.gov.uk
Your voice matters!
Our Dietitian’s Choice
A delicious and nutritious school meal, our BBQ Beef is made with a carefully balanced blend of quality beef and Quorn mince, providing a source of protein to support growth and development while reducing the saturated fat content compared with an all-beef recipe. Served in a rich tomato-based sauce with peppers and onions, this dish delivers plenty of flavour alongside valuable vitamins, minerals and fibre.
Accompanied by oven-baked tortilla chips, the meal provides carbohydrate-rich energy to help pupils stay fuelled and focused throughout the school day.
Our colourful vegetable rice is prepared using a 50/50 blend of white and wholegrain rice, boosting fibre while maintaining a child-friendly taste and texture. Each serving contains a full child-sized portion of mixed vegetables, helping to increase vegetable intake and contribute important vitamins and minerals.
Served with fresh salad and additional vegetables, this balanced meal offers a variety of nutrients from across the food groups, helping pupils work towards their 5-a-day while enjoying a tasty and satisfying lunch. Combining lean protein, wholegrains and plenty of vegetables, it is a wholesome choice that supports healthy growth and learning.
Sustainable School Meals
Quality Ingredients, Responsibly Sourced
The beef component of this dish is made using UK Red Tractor Assured beef mince. Red Tractor standards provide independently audited assurance covering areas such as animal welfare, food safety, traceability and environmental protection. By sourcing UK-assured beef, we are supporting British farming while providing confidence in the provenance and quality of the ingredients used in our school meals.
Lower Carbon Impact, Same Great Taste
Beef is recognised as a relatively high greenhouse gas-emitting food ingredient. To help reduce the environmental impact of this recipe, we formulated our BBQ beef recipe to include 40% Quorn mince alongside 60% beef mince. Quorn has a substantially lower carbon footprint than beef, and this simple change is estimated to reduce the carbon footprint of the mince component of the dish by around 39%, while maintaining the taste, texture and nutritional quality that pupils enjoy.