Why Prue Leith’s idea to give all kids free school dinners is ridiculous and shows she has a very low opinion of parents

DING, ding! Two foodie heavyweights are squaring off in a conflict you never thought you’d see. It’s a surprising clash but Jamie Oliver and Prue Leith are heading towards a simmering feud over school dinners. Prue Leith wants all UK school children to be given free school dinners Credit: Splash A study showed 76 per cent of menus had at least one confirmed breach of the current School Food Standards Credit: Getty This week, 20 years after Jamie sent the Turkey Twizzler disappearing off menus and towards the big bird in the sky, his activist charity exposed just how bad our kids’ school dinners still are. As part of its involvement with the School Food Project, which aims to help schools improve the quality of their food, Bite Back analysed nearly 400 secondary school menus and found 76 per cent had at least one confirmed breach of the current School Food Standards. More than half were still dishing up processed burgers and sausages, nuggets and goujons (think modern-day Twizzlers) and more than a third offered hash browns as a regular breakfast or break option. Doesn’t sound overly healthy, does it? But hours later, fellow chef Prue chirped in. And her solution? Force all kids to eat school dinners and ban all packed lunches to help children stay healthy and experience the “joy” of trying different foods. She obviously has not taken a blind bit of notice of Jamie’s new report or thought about how kids are guaranteed to head straight for those nuggets if they are on offer. Her comments make her sound like a sandwich short of a picnic. What she said could make sense if all school lunches were healthy, but as many are clearly still a big fat, greasy mess, it doesn’t. She admits the ban would be radical and “draconian” (you don’t say, Prue!) but thinks it is necessary because “you can’t police what parents put in” lunch boxes. Wow. Next she’ll be wanting CCTV to watch what Mum and Dad are dishing up at home. Prue explained: “It’s very hard if you’re a mum walking around a supermarket with your child, and a child wants to have that chocolate bar and whatever in their lunch box. “It’s really hard because it’s an easy way of sort of pleasing a child, and it’s an easy way of almost buying love.” It’s also very hard for a kid to ignore the hash browns their pals are tucking into when the school canteen smells like McDonald’s. She really does have a low opinion of parents, doesn’t she? Most of us are smart, most of us do care about what our kids put in their bellies and most of us make sure they’re eating a reasonable diet. We dodge the temptation of that confectionary aisle in Tesco and order online instead so we can shove what we want in that lunch box and chastise our kids if they return with a full Tupperware. Doing that is easier than policing school dinners when we are nowhere near that pile of warm, tempting, fried food. Let’s not forget some kids have allergies and some can only eat certain foods too that school dinners can’t cater for. If you shop wisely, healthy packed lunches can be so much cheaper than the canteen offerings. But now, in the wonderful fluffy world of former Bake Off queen Prue, she wants free dinners for all kids. If someone wants to fill a lunch box with junk, that’s their responsibility Credit: Getty Free school dinners are beneficial for families who genuinely need the help Credit: Getty Sounds great. How admirable. But who is paying for it all? If you shove that cost on to our skint Government we are all going to be coughing up for this greasy muck anyway. It’s a ridiculous idea. And Jamie would tell you that. From this new term all kids whose parents are on Universal Credit will be eligible for free school food, which is the right thing to do. For those who can’t afford to give their kids a hot meal of any kind, this will be a welcome relief. Those who are having to pay, though, must be allowed to decide for themselves, to choose what their own hard-earned cash is spent on and what they feed their own kids. Yes, some parents will make terrible choices. But if someone wants to fill a lunch box with junk, that’s their responsibility. Don’t punish every sensible parent for the stupidity of others. Only when school dinners are fixed can we really talk turkey, Prue. Until then, leave the parenting to the parents. And keep your hands off our lunch boxes. MEG’S PARTY PANIC Spare a thought for parents who are invited to children’s parties by Harry and Meghan Credit: AFP CAN we all please spare a thought for the parents at Archie and Lilibet’s new school. Forget the chaos at pick-up time with stay-at-home dad Harry collecting the sprogs along with his army of security. But just think of the birthday parties. That invite to the local soft play, the passing of that scruffy parcel, and pizza washed down with squash just won’t cut it any more. Imagine Meg and her themed bashes, calligraphy-labelled party bags, array of home-made produce for the little cherubs to chuck about – and not to mention the NDA to sign at the door before you escape after two hours. Sends a chill down my spine. MY favourite Dolly Parton story is the one told by Julia Roberts about when they filmed Steel Magnolias together. Julia tried to whinge about the hot weather but the late, great Dolly told her: “When I was a little girl, I wanted to be famous and I wanted to be rich, and now I’m both those things. I’m not going to complain about it.” We could all be a bit more Dolly. She was the original influencer. WHAT A WEASEL Rupert Grint has snapped up a lucrative Broadway role to reprise his role as Ron Weasley Credit: Getty RUPERT Grint has a cheek, hasn’t he? He was one of the first Harry Potter stars to hit out at JK Rowling over her stance on trans issues. But now he’s snapped up a lucrative Broadway role to reprise his role as Ron Weasley. His morals out the window, the cash in his pocket. He’s a weaselly money grabber. But what about the theatre? They’re a disgrace for hiring him. I just hope that it’s a flop. THINK YOU’LL LOOK LIKE CHERYL? YOU’VE BEEN AD Cheryl Tweedy has landed a Nivea deal – but looking like her will be difficult Credit: Nivea CHERYL Tweedy has landed a Nivea deal for a second year running. Good on her because she truly is a walking advert for looking amazing. I might pop and buy myself a tub and I, too, may suddenly get puffed-up cheeks and flawless skin. Can’t wait. Thanks, Cheryl. TOP Gear is coming back. I truly wish it wasn’t. The BBC may be very excited, but if ever there was a show that should come with a trigger warning, this is it. There have been too many safety cock-ups, crashes and injuries. This is one classic that should be shoved in the garage and kept there. ADHD BILL IS RIP-OFF THERE’S a new report slating companies that charge a fortune for people to get diagnosed with ADHD and autism. Some are billing the NHS up to £3,000 a pop for an ADHD diagnosis, and there are 800,000 people on NHS waiting lists for an assessment in England. Under an initiative called Right To Choose, they can be assessed privately and the NHS will pick up the bill. Great. But I don’t just blame the assessors, I blame some of those who want an assessment. Those who have managed to live their lives perfectly well for decades. They’ve navigated school, work, relationships and family life but suddenly need a label on their heads. Unless they’ve actually truly struggled, I really don’t get the need. BRIGHT LIGHTS DANGER An inquest heard Dame Jenni Murray’s fatal car crash was triggered by headlight glare Credit: PA PRESENTER Jenni Murray tried to make a difference when she hosted Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. I hope she can continue to do so after her tragic death. An inquest heard this week that her fatal car crash was triggered by headlight glare. It’s a growing problem. So many people now hate driving in the dark because they are dazzled by lights. It’s time to regulate headlight intensity and alignment before more people suffer the hideous consequences that Jenni did.