Thursday 4 May 2023

Eco-Friendly Girls School Menu: Chinese Crispy Crickets, Stir Fry Worms, Grasshopper Noodles

Crickets, worms and grasshoppers are dished out to kids at prestigious £20,000-a-year girls' school after pupils voted for eco-friendly dinners

  • The North London Collegiate School (NLSC) has introduced the new menu
  • Former pupils at the school include the likes of Rachel Weisz and Anna Wintour
Chinese crispy crickets, buffalo worm stir fry and grasshopper ... Get Me Out of Here!

But these are the new environmentally-friendly dishes on offer on the menu of a £20,000-a-year independent girls school.

The prestigious North London Collegiate School (NLSC) - which counts Rachel WeiszEsther Rantzen and Anna Wintour as former pupils - is leading the way with meals that are kind to the planet.

The new menu came about after pupils, who vote for what school dinners they have with green tickets for yes and red for no, called for the school to become more sustainable.

The result is that the kitchen is trialling edible insect dishes. 

Chinese crispy crickets and grasshopper noodles are on the menu at the prestigious North London Collegiate School (NLSC)

Chinese crispy crickets and grasshopper noodles are on the menu at the prestigious North London Collegiate School (NLSC)

The new eco-lunch options came about after pupils called for the school to become more sustainable

The new eco-lunch options came about after pupils called for the school to become more sustainable

Guy Kaye, NLCS' general manager for catering, said: 'We're dedicated to driving sustainability, without compromising the satisfaction of the pupils we serve.

'The girls have been a driving force behind the change, and are really open to trying new things that are better for the world, even if that includes trying edible insects that are very common in other parts of the word and a sustainable source of fibre.'

The oldest girls school in the UK, whose former pupils also include Marie Stopes, Fennela Fielding and Susie Orbach, is one of the first in the world to work with the UN Climate Neutral Now Initiative to become a carbon-neutral organisation.

Every form has an eco-rep who reports students' green ideas to the school environmental committee of teachers, staff and pupils.

NLCS is also a founding member of the London School Eco Network where schools across the city meet to work on national green campaigns like the Youth Climate Summit.

As GCSE and A level season approaches, the school has taken a further step by inserting healthier ingredients into old favourites on the lunch menu, such as chocolate brownies made with beetroot.

The students at NLCS vote for what school dinners they have with green tickets for yes and red for no

The students at NLCS vote for what school dinners they have with green tickets for yes and red for no

Mr Kaye added: 'We adopt a health by stealth strategy to add extra nutrients to some of our popular dishes, which is particularly important to fuel learning during exam season.

'Crucially, the recipes stand up when it comes to the all-important taste test. When the girls try them, they're completely shocked to learn that beetroot was a core base for the brownie, but that doesn't stop them coming back for more.'

Yesterday it was revealed that at least nine councils serve only plant-based meals at their events and actively promote vegan lifestyles within their communities.

Parents shared photos of the vegan school dinners being served to their children. 

Meanwhile, Britain's furious farmers have begun the fightback against 'plant-based' options being forced onto kids and called for more support of their industry.

An example of a vegan meal being served to children at other schools across the UK

An example of a vegan meal being served to children at other schools across the UK

Parents have sent in what is being offered to their children

Parents have sent in what is being offered to their children 

The Countryside Alliance warned a new plant-based international treaty signed by several councils in the UK is a threat to British agriculture.

Blasting the initiative, Sir Robert Goodwill, chairman of the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, called the measure a 'slap in the face for British farmers'.

The Tory MP told the Times: 'There's nothing wrong with vegetarian food but we need a balanced diet which does include dairy: milk, dairy products are high in vitamins. And we don't want children, some of them from poorer backgrounds who don't get a decent meal at home, not getting a decent meal at school either.'

Seven in ten people are unwilling to adopt a ‘bushtucker trial’ diet – including insects such as mealworms – in order to save the planet. Pictured, edible crickets and mealworms

Seven in ten people are unwilling to adopt a ‘bushtucker trial’ diet – including insects such as mealworms – in order to save the planet. Pictured, edible crickets and mealworms

Students who chose to eat the bugs were given extra credit

Students in one school who chose to eat the bugs were given extra credit 

Researchers plan to feed primary school children bugs like house crickets and mealworms, or bug protein bolognese, to help persuade them and their parents to move away from meat

Researchers from Cardiff University and UWE hope to find out the children’s attitudes to environmental issues and how they translate into views on the food they eat (stock image)

Researchers from Cardiff University and UWE hope to find out the children’s attitudes to environmental issues and how they translate into views on the food they eat

Edible insects, like black soldier fly larvae (pictured), offer a sustainable alternative to proteins found in meat and soy and could help to reduce the 64 million tons of carbon dioxide that is emitted each year from producing and the consumption of meat-based products.

Edible insects include black soldier fly larvae (pictured)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is currently assessing house crickets for human consumption, with mealworms likely to be submitted soon (stock image)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is currently assessing house crickets for human consumption

Aaron Thomas and Leo Taylor of Yum Bug are trying to convince Aldi to put edible critters on their shelves as a cheap source of protein

Aaron Thomas and Leo Taylor of Yum Bug are trying to convince Aldi to put edible critters on their shelves as a cheap source of protein

The pair will appear on Channel 4's 'Aldi's Next Big Thing' tomorrow night where they will make a pitch to the supermarket to carry their edible insects products

The pair appeared on Channel 4's 'Aldi's Next Big Thing'  where they made a pitch to the supermarket to carry their edible insects products

Tesco has been exploring how to increase the use of insect protein in animal feed through its partnerships with a number of start-ups, including AgriGrub

Tesco has been exploring how to increase the use of insect protein in animal feed through its partnerships with a number of start-ups, including AgriGrub

Several UK start-ups, working together with Tesco, are exploring how insect protein can be used to feed fish and livestock

Several UK start-ups, working together with Tesco, are exploring how insect protein can be used to feed fish and livestock

Angelina Jolie shares a plate of scorpions with her eight-year-old twins Knox (left) and Vivienne (second to the right). Insects are common bugs eaten around the world with studies showing that they are good for us

Angelina Jolie shares a plate of scorpions with her eight-year-old twins Knox (left) and Vivienne (second to the right).

The actress takes a bite of a scorpion. Studies have found bugs like crickets and grasshoppers to be a far better source of iron for humans than beef

The actress takes a bite of a scorpion.


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