Food Museum seeks contributions for school dinners exhibition

In March 2025, the Food Museum is launching a major exhibition on the theme of School Dinners, bringing to life memories and tastes of school food – good and bad! From nutrition and influence on popular culture, to the evolution of government policies and the role of campaigners, the exhibition will take visitors on a fascinating journey through the past, present, and future of school food.

As part of the exhibition, the Food Museum is looking to borrow objects from the public to help bring the story of school dinners to life. Did you work in school food? Do you have items such as school dinner staff uniforms, lunch boxes, menus or other related objects that you’d like to share the story of? If so, the museum would love to hear from you.

The Food Museum is particularly seeking the following items for inclusion in the exhibition:

• School dinner staff uniforms: We are looking for uniforms from any period between 1906-2024. These will help tell the story of the crucial people who made our school dinners.
• School uniforms: We are interested in a small selection of school uniforms from any era to add context and atmosphere to the exhibition.
• Lunch boxes: Both modern and historic lunch boxes are needed to tell the story of children who brought their meals from home instead of eating a cooked school dinner.
• Packaging from packed lunches: Do you have any packaging from packed lunch items that evoke memories—good or bad? This will help us explore the diverse contents of packed lunches over the years.
• Popular culture objects: If you own popular culture items where school dinners are featured, such as Olive the Dinner Lady from Beano or Horrid Henry and the Demon Dinner Lady, we’d like to include them in the exhibition.
• ·International school dinner objects: We want to share school dinners from all around the world! We’re looking for objects relating to school dinners from outside of the UK, including packaging, lunch boxes and menus.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a major exhibition and share your memories of school life. If you have any of these items, or anything else relating to the theme of school dinners and would be willing to lend them for the exhibition, please email schooldinners@foodmuseum.org.uk.

Whether you remember school meals with nostalgia or dread, had packed lunches or hot dinners, or have wondered about the origins and future of school meals, this exhibition will explore these questions and more. The Food Museum is collaborating with a range of partners including the Quadram Institute, Norse Catering, Museum of the Home, and the School Meals Service Project, along with input from young people and school meal providers. But to make this exhibition truly comprehensive, they need your help!