Korokoro trio whip up tasty school lunches

Dumplings, pea and ham croquettes, and chicken empanadas are on the menu at Korokoro School.

Three Korokoro mums have launched a business they hope will change the way Lower Hutt children eat their lunch. The trio – Lucy Twigg, Karla Andersen and Toni Mason-Booth – call themselves Korokoro Kitchen and their aim is to produce fresh, healthy warm lunches for children.

Twigg, who trained as a chef in France and worked on super yachts, is in charge of the menu.

Based in the old cafe in the Avalon Studios, they supply four schools including Korokoro.

Lunch costs $6.50 and Twigg said the emphasis was on using fresh produce and encouraging kids to eat healthy food.

Twigg has two children and like the other women, she was looking for a business opportunity. They started at Korokoro School because that is where their children went and are now expanding into other schools.

Deputy principal Melissa Lilley has two girls at Korokoro.

Ten year-old Sofia loved the meals and enjoyed logging on to

THIS WEEK'S MENU

Monday - free-range chicken empanadas.

Tuesday - pulled pork, fresh bun, slaw.

Wednesday - mini beef and cheese pies.

Thursday - pea and ham croquettes.

Friday - fresh fish tacos. the website the night before to order her lunch. Her other daughter was a ‘‘fussy’’ eater and was less keen.

One person who liked the lunches was seven year–old Lexanna Perret, whose favourite lunch was French toast.

Her training as a chef helps Twigg produce healthy food, even if the kids do not always realise what the ingredients are. Her mince pies contain more vegetables than meat.

As a mum, she was sympathetic to how hard it could be making healthy lunches. It was easy to fall into a pattern of making sandwiches and just changing the filling, she said.

Giving children the choice of a warm, freshly cooked lunch, dealt with that problem and also introduced children to new types of food.

Deputy principal Georgina Frater said the school supported Korokoro Kitchen as it was a healthy option. Feedback had been positive and parents in winter liked the idea of children having a warm lunch.

Korokoro Kitchen’s Facebook page includes plenty of positive comments, including Libby Dearnley.

‘‘My kids can’t wait until the weekend. They love choosing a bought lunch each week.They come home raving about it and have eaten the whole lunch, each time. Thank-you.’’