Nine-Year-Old Girl’s Funny Food Blog Inspires School Lunch Change
A nine-year-old girl in Scotland caused quite a stir when she began reviewing school lunches in a hysterical blog called "NeverSeconds." Now, thanks to her efforts, the school is serving healthier, better-tasting alternatives. Way to go, kid!
In April, Martha Payne began reviewing lunches based on taste, health, number of mouthfuls taken and pieces of hair (ew!). In one of her blog posts, Payne groused about the lack of a particular food item: "I'd have enjoyed more than one croquet. I'm a growing kid and I need to concentrate all afternoon and I cant do it on one croquette. Do any of you think you could?"
Later, Payne reviewed a dish of soup and sausages, accompanied by roast potatoes and salad, and found it a bit wanting: "The lady on the radio said I had a choice everyday of mini tomatoes and watercress, but I have never seen them. My soup tasted of mainly carrot but i am not sure. I had three wee roast potatoes which were a bit small and the sausages are very different to the ones I get at home. They are very crispy on the outside and the texture is like a baked potato."
She's quite the budding food critic! Eventually, Payne's reviews caught the attention of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who tweeted his appreciation for her "inspirational" blog.
School officials noticed Payne's critiques too, and started offering unlimited veggies, fruit and bread with all lunches. In addition, they provided healthy food items that the little girl had never been served before: "For the first time ever I have seen at lunch cherry tomatoes, radishes, carrot and cucumber shreddings."
Ah, if only the internet had been around when we were kids eating crummy school lunches, maybe we wouldn't have nightmares about "mystery meat."