No more sausage rolls or Paddle Pops! How a mother-of-two is transforming school canteens with healthy versions of butter chicken, bolognese and eye-popping grazing platters
- Mum of two Brooke Flanagan was unimpressed with food choices at schools
- She founded healthy catering company Brooke's Canteen in 2016
- The Facebook page for Brooke's Canteen has been liked more than 95k times
- Her home made, fresh meals are currently stocked in eight schools in Australia
- Ms Flanagan's cuisine is a far cry from Ovalteenies served to kids in the 90s
When it comes to promoting healthy meals for children, many parents feel as though they are fighting a losing battle.
But mother-of-two Brooke Flanagan, from New South Wales, is on a quest to simplify this problem, combining her love of kids and cooking to create a nutritious school catering company called Brooke's Canteen.
A member of the Healthy Kids Association, Brooke's Canteen encourages Australian children to make healthy choices by offering tasty, wholesome food.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Ms Flanagan discussed the inspiration behind her booming business venture and the message she hopes to send to parents about healthy eating.
Brooke Flanagan, founder of Brooke's Canteen, wants more Australian schools to be commit to encouraging healthy eating for kids
Ms Flanagan builds her meals on a foundation of fresh, natural foods, offering healthy choices like these grilled meat skewers with a generous side salad
Brooke's Canteen do Mexican: Ms Flanagan's guilt-free take on the flavoursome cuisine
Ms Flanagan, 31, started Brooke's Canteen in 2016, having worked as a preschool teacher for four years prior.
'When my eldest daughter Ruby started kindergarten it gave me the push to investigate what other school canteens were offering in my local community,' she said.
'95 per cent of them were filled with junk so I knew something massive had to be changed.'
Ms Flanagan offers a wide range of tasty, nutritious options from her catering company Brooke's Canteen, including this rainbow coloured healthy picking plate with watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, crackers and a small portion of cheese
Delectable delights: Brooke's Canteen demonstrates how healthy eating can be made attractive to kids who are picky eaters with this colourful array of delicious fruit
To date, Ms Flanagan has brought Brooke's Canteen to eight public schools in New South Wales, with a ninth singed up for next term.
'My most popular item for the winter season is butter chicken and rice which is made from scratch consisting of herbs and spices, Greek yogurt, chicken breast, garlic, tomato puree, onion and rice.'
'The best seller from my summer menu item is the teriyaki chicken salad box which is marinated teriyaki chicken breast served with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, shredded carrot and Spanish onion,' she said.
Ms Flanagan with Australian Labour MP Anoulack Chanthivong at Brooke's Canteen
Being healthy doesn't need to be boring: An selection of made-from-scratch bolognese plates created by Brooke's Canteen as a more nutritious alternative to the historic fried, greasy options available on school menus
Speaking about the response to her clever business venture, Ms Flanagan said the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
'Every school I have opened at I have been blown away by the kindness and encouragement shown by parents and the larger community.
'They have showered me with thank you gifts, beautifully handwritten cards from the students and often send me lovely messages on social media.
'The facilities have been so receptive of this move towards healthier living.'
Brooke's Canteen offer snacks like popcorn to steer kids away from poor food choices like sugary donuts or fizzy drinks
Hard to believe: This photograph of Leumeah High School's canteen menu dating back to 1994 recently surfaced on Reddit
Curly Wurlys and DunkaRoos were popular among Australian schoolkids in the 1990s before the health conscious craze set in - the 'dippable' snack (right) was especially loved, with kids eating the leftover sauce with their fingers
It's a far cry from the canteen menus of years gone by, with canteen menu from 1994 recently surfacing online.
The available options for recess included a Vegemite sandwiches, sausage rolls and iced donuts - a stark contrast to the health conscious choices provided in many schools today.
Ovalteenies, DunkaRoos, Sunnyboys and chocolate bars like Curly Wurlys were other favourite lunch time fare for 90s youngsters.
1990s Australian schoolkids spent many a lunch time munching on popular pizza pockets, oven baked rolls oozing with a melted cheese centre.
These days, this greasy, carb-heavy mainstay has been replaced with DIY salad boxes, vegetarian fettucine and nourishing chicken noodle soup from Brooke's Canteen and other nutritionally conscious caterers.
Both hands on the pulse: Ms Flanagan paid tribute to cultural diversity and Australian history by offering free home made bush bread in honour of NAIDOC Week, which celebrates the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Many meals from Brooke's Canteen are plant based, rich with vitamins and minerals contained in fresh fruit and vegetables
Ms Flanagan said students keep coming back for more healthy counter goodies thanks to the variety of choice offered by Brooke's Canteen.
'I change the treats every day to keep them enticed,' she said.
Showing her keen eye for business, Ms Flanagan makes sure to honour cultural milestones such as July's NAIDOC Week and provided free bush bread to students to mark the occasion.
Asked about the message she'd like to give parents struggling with their children's food choices, Ms Flanagan assured it is never gone beyond the point of fixing.
'Being a mum I know how hard it can be to get kids to try healthy things, but it’s never too late.
'Get the kids involved in meal planning every Sunday for their school lunches. Let them help you write lunch ideas and the grocery list.'
Ms Flanagan said even when a child refuses to eat a certain vegetable of food stuff, she continues serving it with other ingredients to gradually cement it as part of the daily diet.
'My youngest refused to eat mushrooms for years, but I persevered and every time I made a dish I would leave them in there,
'Eventually, she got sick of picking them out and now she genuinely likes them.'
The wholesome chef said as long as parents continue to promote healthy choices, kids will become more inclined to try it over time.
'I believe in swapping not stopping so it’s okay for them to still have treats occasionally, but the bulk of a child's diet should be healthy, fresh and nutritional food.'
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