For Schools

We’re unique!

Local Food Links is a unique organisation and a community owned social enterprise.  Since 2007 we’ve been making freshly prepared, healthy school meals and supporting local businesses.

We have 3 hub kitchens supplying more than 53 schools across Dorset plus 1 school in Devon!

We’re a ‘not for profit’ organisation and that means we can really focus on our quality and service.  We work hard to source the best quality ingredients, we make things from scratch and so we know exactly what goes into each and every meal.  Unlike larger profit driven businesses we don’t bulk buy lots of processed items and our meals are freshly prepared daily and delivered short distances.

We are passionate about great food! 

We strive to create varied and interesting menus that children will enjoy whilst packing each meal full of healthy goodness.

We operate across Dorset, delivering meals (either hot or cook-chill, i.e. to be reheated on-site) from our kitchens in Bridport, Blandford and Weymouth.

Our menus are tasty, varied and freshly prepared daily; they are also compliant with The School Food Standards introduced in January 2015.  Information about allergens contained in our recipes can be found on our website.

As well as the benefits for the children, our lunches are good for the whole school. Better behaved and engaged children make lessons more effective and easier for teachers.

Working with LFL means working in partnership

We produce menus and meals, we offer an online ordering system for schools and parents that reduces school meal administration.  We work with schools to provide opportunities for parents to see and taste the meals they order for their children and can also provide staff training, if required.  We have a dedicated Schools Liaison Officer and are committed to continuous improvement.

We currently supply schools in West and North Dorset and 1 school in Devon.

We are always looking to expand our coverage and serve more schools in Dorset and Devon, so please do get in touch if you’d like us to supply your school.

Following recommendations in the School Food Plan, the government started funding free schools meals to all Key Stage 1 children (in reception, year 1 and year 2) in state-funded schools in England, in September 2014.

We understand that ‘take-up’ rates for school meals are important; not only for having well engaged students, but to make the costs of serving meals as effective as possible. A good take-up rates benefits the whole school and is a criterion for Ofsted inspections.

We believe the best way to drive take-up rates is to serve great food!  We’ve been creating nutritious and delicious school meals for more than 10 years which children genuinely enjoy eating.  We gather regular feedback from schools, parents and pupils and we continually review, update and improve our menus … we are real ‘foodies’ and love testing new recipes and ingredients.