Julie Cook
Journalist and broadcast commentator
Ever been in a rush in the morning and shoved a packet of crisps in your child’s school lunchbox? Ever slipped in a sneaky chocolate bar to say “I love you” when they have been having a bad week? I certainly have. And I’m pretty sure tens of thousands of other parents have done the same.
My own kids are now 17 and 12 and well past the lunchbox age. But there was a time when they were younger that a school lunchbox was a taste of home, a reminder of a mother who had lovingly packed it and chosen food they liked.
Now self-appointed guardian of the school lunch table, celeb chef Dame Prue Leith, has called for them to be banned in a bid to stop parents putting in treats, arguing that school meals should be mandatory. Leith, 86, told the Press Association: “I’m being much more draconian… I think we should ban lunchboxes because you can’t police what parents put in.”
