Dean Winter, Executive Chef at Bradford Grammar School, explains how thoughtful, fresh and expertly planned food underpins student wellbeing, energy and learning — and why school catering deserves to be taken seriously.
When parents think about a school, they quite rightly focus on academic standards, pastoral care and opportunities beyond the classroom. What is sometimes less visible — but just as influential — is what students eat every day, and how that food supports their health, concentration, energy and wellbeing.
At Bradford Grammar School (BGS), food is not an afterthought. It is a central part of the school day, and I take it very seriously. On a practical level, my role as Executive Chef is to feed up to a thousand students each day, alongside staff, across a large site. We run the main servery, the Sixth Form Centre, the pasta bar and the tuck shop, as well as catering for the Junior School and the new Early Years.
Each week, I manage up to £12,000 worth of stock, plan menus, work with suppliers, lead a team of nearly 20 people and make sure that what we are serving is nutritious, appealing and consistent.
But the real work goes much deeper than logistics.
My approach at BGS has always been rooted in one belief: food should actively support young people to thrive. That means thinking carefully about nutrition, balance and variety — and understanding that children eat with their eyes as much as with their appetite. Food should be a kaleidoscope of colour, texture and flavour. If it looks inviting, students are far more likely to engage with it.
Everything we produce here is made fresh. Sauces are not poured from jars; they are cooked from scratch. Curries, pasta sauces, stir-fries and soups are prepared in-house, which allows us to control exactly what goes into them — salt levels, sugar content and overall nutritional balance. That matters. When you’re feeding growing children, small decisions made every day add up.
One simple example is our pasta bar. It’s hugely popular, but it’s also carefully designed. Our tomato-based sauces are packed with vegetables — celery, carrot and others blended in — so students choosing a bowl of pasta are still getting a balanced meal. Occasionally, I’m asked if we can offer plain pasta. I won’t do it because nutritionally it doesn’t make sense. If a student is eating here, I want to know they are being properly fuelled.
Choice is another cornerstone of what we do. A printed menu can never tell the full story. Alongside our hot main dishes and vegetarian options, students have access to a well-stocked salad bar, jacket potatoes with hot fillings, homemade sandwiches and salad boxes. Sometimes I’ve been told we offer too much choice — but for me, that’s a good problem to have. Different students have different needs, appetites and preferences, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.
We also listen. Feedback comes through informal conversations, daily service and the school council, and we respond wherever we can. Trends matter, too. Young people are curious about food, and engaging them means staying current — whether that’s street-food-inspired dishes, seasonal comfort food in the winter or lighter options in the summer. Menus evolve weekly, shaped by what works, what doesn’t and what students genuinely enjoy eating.
Behind all of this is a highly skilled and committed team. We have chefs, an experienced catering manager and a group of cross-trained catering assistants who understand that quality and consistency matter. When I joined BGS in 2014, one of my priorities was to raise standards and invest in people — to move away from a traditional “school dinners” model and build a professional kitchen capable of delivering at a very high level. It took time and trust, but the result is a team that takes real pride in what they do.
For parents, one of the biggest reassurances I can offer is transparency. If a family has concerns about what their child is eating, I invite them in. I walk them through the servery, show them the choices available and explain how the food is prepared. I’ve never had a parent leave thinking the provision is inadequate — quite the opposite. Often, the surprise is how much care and thought goes into it.
There are challenges, of course. Food inflation has been significant in recent years, and balancing rising costs without compromising quality requires constant negotiation with suppliers and careful menu planning. Buying locally and seasonally wherever possible helps, but space and storage are practical constraints. That said, I will always prioritise quality over shortcuts. Cutting corners with food is not an option when young people’s health is at the heart of the choices we make.
My own background — including 12 years as a chef in the Royal Air Force, catering for everyone from active service personnel to formal events — shaped my understanding of how nutrition affects performance. You learn very quickly that food is fuel, and that the right balance makes a tangible difference to energy, focus and resilience. That thinking underpins everything we do at BGS.
Looking ahead, the goal is continual development. I don’t want our catering provision to stand still. Stagnation is the enemy of quality! I challenge my team to bring ideas, test new approaches and keep improving.
At its best, school food quietly supports everything else BGS is trying to achieve. It keeps students energised through long days, supports wellbeing and helps them build a positive, informed relationship with food — understanding what they eat, why it matters and how it makes them feel.
“At its best, school food quietly supports everything else a BGS is trying to achieve. It keeps students energised through long days, supports wellbeing and helps them build a positive, informed relationship with food — understanding what they eat, why it matters and how it makes them feel!”