In the evolving landscape of education, school leaders face the challenge of providing quality, great-tasting, cost-effective, and safe meals to students, including those with medical or dietary needs. This challenge is further compounded, when schools have limited kitchen space and resources – and in sometime instances no kitchen at all!
Using fresh ingredients and utilising patented technology and smooth logistics, our Steamplicity solution is helping meet this challenge head on, delivering freshly prepared, nutritious meals for schools with minimal kitchen infrastructure, or where a cook from scratch offer simply isn’t viable, due to other restrictions, such as limited roll numbers.
In this blog, we highlight the key benefits of the Steamplicity solution – some of which might just surprise you.
Proper wholesome food – supporting British suppliers
It all starts with quality, fresh ingredients that are sourced from dedicated ingredient suppliers all over the UK. This mean using British Red Tractor beef in our bolognaise, that is lovingly cook with care and attention, to sourcing the very best potatoes from family farmers, ensuring they meet our stringent taste criteria. We source British-produce where possible, helping to ensure freshness, while supporting UK farmers, because your meal is only as good as the ingredients you use.
Cutting edge technology - delivering quality, fresh meals
The Steamplicity solution utilises a unique steam-cooking system that prepares meals in under five minutes, preserving nutrients and enhancing flavour. This method ensures that students receive hot, fresh meals daily. Our team of trained professionals create freshly prepared meals with care, before they are delivered in chilled to schools and cooked on-site, reducing the need for extensive kitchen equipment and staff. This method allows us to consistently deliver quality meals for pupils.
“My mantra as a culinary professional has always been to champion quality, simple, delicious food. Steamplicity does just that,” says Rob Kennedy, Culinary Director at Chartwells. “We work hard to ensure the Steamplicity menu mirrors our cook-on-site offer wherever possible, enabling us to deliver great food in environments with limited space and resources. There’s a real need for this solution in education, and we’re continually innovating our menus and technology to deliver quality, simple delicious meals every day.”
Everyone can eat at the table – a safe solution for those with allergies
According to the World Health Organisation, half of the planet’s population will have an allergic disorder by 2050. This is a trend we see first-hand, with the number of children requiring medical diets increasing year-on-year. For us, the Steamplicity solution is a pivotal tool to remove risk when serving children with allergies. All meals are prepared in BRC-accredited facilities, ensuring high standards of hygiene and quality. The system provides clear allergen information, allowing schools to cater to students' specific dietary needs safely. This approach aligns with Natasha's Law, which mandates the clear labelling of allergens in food provided to consumers.
Meg Hughes, Director of Nutrition and Social Value, said: “Catering for children with allergies and intolerances in schools isn’t just a measure of compliance, it’s also a measure of inclusion and trust. Partnering with schools to create a dining room environment where every child eats a nutritious meal that is safe for them and their friends to eat is the ultimate aim. The Steamplicity solution removes elements of risk and allows children with allergies to safely eat with us, enabling lunch time as an opportunity for every child to socialise with teachers and peers whilst filling their tummies with tasty meals to fuel the afternoon of learning.”
Planet friendly – sustainability a key focus of the solution
Sustainability is a core component of Steamplicity's design. The system's efficient cooking process reduces energy consumption by 36% compared to traditional methods. Additionally, Steamplicity has a closed-loop recycling system for Steamplicity trays, reducing the need for virgin plastic by an estimated 244 tonnes annually. These initiatives contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly catering solution.
To empower parents with information about our dishes, in partnership with West Sussex County Council, we became the first Local Authority to introduce carbon labelling across our menu. Through in-depth data analysis with our partners, FoodSteps, we provided clear information for parents at the point of choice, as well as utilising the data to drive down carbon across the menu, through menu-engineering and product development.
Hughes added: “The biggest impact we can have within schools, is by setting a great example to the children, embedding positive behaviours towards people and planet. This drive ensures that we not only educate pupils about sustainability, our food system, and nutrition, but we also focus on how we can operate sustainably. Through the generation of a closed loop recycling system, and energy efficient cooking technology, we are continually seeking to reduce waste and our carbon footprint.”