Arthur and the secret school recipe
BOY, 8, WRITES LETTER TO SCHOOL FOR DINNER LADY’S MINCE AND DUMPLINGS RECIPE
PIZZA, curry, roast dinners – everyone has their favourite food.
And Arthur Dawson is no different, loving the mince and dumplings served up by the cooks at Langley First School in Whitley Bay.
During lockdown the eight-year-old has been craving his favourite dish and asked his dad to whip up the classic British meal.
But he was left disappointed after it didn’t live up to his high expectations.
So he decided to write to his school in a bid to get hold of the secret recipe so he could make it himself.
In his handwritten letter, Arthur wrote to headteacher Tim Jones: “Dear Mr Jones, I have missed you. But what I have missed most is the dinner ladies’ mince and dumplings.
“It’s the best food ever. Please can we have the secret recipe for mince and dumplings.”
And he didn’t mince his words when describing dad’s culinary efforts, saying ‘it was very bad’ before signing off with ‘please help’ and ‘stay safe.’
The school were so tickled by Arthur’s adorable letter that Mr Jones contacted the catering team at North Tyneside Council so the youngster could get his mince and dumplings fix.
And with the help of mum Dawn, dad Antony and little sister Annie, Arthur was able to make the recreate his beloved dish and gave it the seal of approval. Mum Dawn Hewitt thanked the school and council for sharing the ‘precious recipe.’
She said: “Arthur loved making this meal with his daddy and it turned out to be really, really tasty. When Antony last tried to make this, it did not pass Arthur’s exacting standards. It was not as good as the school’s.
“This time, though, Arthur loved it and gave it the thumbs up. We’ll be making it again next week.”
Mr Jones said the letter brought some much-needed light relief during the coronavirus pandemic.
He said: “At this unprecedented time, it’s often the small, unexpected things that have a positive impact.
“Therefore, it was lovely to receive a handwritten letter from Arthur saying how he missed school and more importantly how he missed school dinners.
“It most definitely put a smile on my face reading it, especially as I can imagine him telling his dad exactly what he thought of his home-made version.
“It’s good to know that we have a possible food critic in the making.”