Bus food firm just the ticket
SKELMERSDALE-BASED catering service Mellors is celebrating, after its Big Red Bus project scooped the Innovation Award at the prestigious Educatering Excellence Awards 2019.
Hosted by Educatering Magazine, a national publication concentrating on the education catering industry, the event was held at London’s Royal Garden Hotel.
Some of the Mellors Head Office team, including the project’s key people, Danielle Watkins, head of food and nutrition, and bus driver Carol Regan attended the ceremony.
Voted for by guests on the night, the Innovation Award sought to recognise a new concept, product, service or process that had contributed to the highest standard of school catering.
Mellors Big Red Bus is a vintage London double-decker bus which has been kitted out as a complete mobile catering unit. The project sees the bus visit schools with Mellors catering to give pupils a completely unique lunch experience.
The Big Red Bus has currently visited 20 schools and served more than 4,000 pupils. During the school visit, pupils learn about where food comes from and the benefits of healthy eating, as well as getting to enjoy a delicious hot meal.
Teachers, governors and parents are all welcomed aboard, too, and there is a real sense of community presence at every visit.
Deb Bacon, chief operations officer at Outwoods Primary School, one of the first schools to host the bus, was delighted with the visit.
She said: “Mellors catering took it up a notch when they arrived on our school sites with the Big Red Bus. The children were so excited to have the opportunity to take a lunch on the bus and enjoy the innovative environment.
“We saw an increase in takeup of school meals with some children who are always packed lunches taking a hot meal to take part. Some of our children have never been on a bus and certainly not the iconic red London variety. It certainly created a buzz around school for all of the children.
“The whole experience of handing in their bus ticket to come on board and the activities made it truly enjoyable for the children and something they were talking about for days after.
“Parents also commented on how innovative the idea was and we hope the Big Red Bus will be back to see us again soon.”
The bus is set to attend another 36 schools by the end of the year, serving over 14,000 pupils. Not only is it teaching pupils about nourishing their minds, the group aims to make food education fun and something they will remember for a lifetime.
Speaking at the awards evening, head of food and nutrition, Danielle Watkins, said: “The Mellors Big Red Bus project is reaching out to children all over the north of England and the fact that the audience voted for us to win made the award even more special.”