School caterer and social enterprise Whole School Meals CIC, has celebrated 10 years of serving up healthy school meals.

The award-winning firm, which was founded by parents, governors and supporters held a party for its 100 staff, school representatives and local suppliers at Deal Welfare Club on Tuesday.

Chairman Stephanie Hayman said “It’s so satisfying to look back over the past 10 years and see how far we have come.

“We started with nothing but a great idea and lots of determination, now we serve thousands of school meals every day and employ 100 staff.”

The aim was to “put children first” while supporting the local economy by using independent suppliers.

Since then they’ve been able to reinvest profits into some of the 25 shareholder schools, paying for cookery classes, outdoor activities, playground improvements and allotments.

Stephanie Hayman, chairman Whole School Meals“We started with nothing but a great idea and lots of determination, now we serve thousands of meals every day and employ 100 staff” -

Whole School Meals cooked their first meals for local schools in September 2006. This week, the children are sharing in the celebration as a week of special meals with prizes takes place. There will be an opportunity to win a family outing and smaller prizes and free gifts for each child having a meal during the week.

The company was the brainchild of Stephanie Hayman, a governor at Warden House School, who was unhappy with the quality of school meals being provided for her son, Harry, eight, at the time.

She put out a call for like-minded people and formed the company with the help of co-directors Patrick Hollis, Jane Langstaff, Ellie Chubb, Gillian Chiverton, Mark O’Meara and Neil Hutchinson.

Schools supported the idea and pledged “Jamie Money” from the government following a successful campaign by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

The first term in 2006 saw 750 meals served. This term there were 2,500 at schools in Deal, Walmer and surrounding villages, Dover, Capel le Ferne, Hawkinge, Cheriton and Hythe.

In 2014 Whole School Meals became a Community Interest Company, and there are now three head teachers as directors, all of whom give their time without remuneration.

Accolade for Whole School Meals includes the 2007 Employer Award from South Kent College Training for Business, they were a KM Business Awards finalist in 2007 and Stephanie Hayman was awarded Kent Life Local Food Hero in 2014.