Cabbage and broccoli are the most disliked vegetables found in school dinners, a new study has revealed.
The poll of 2,000 adults with children conducted for Waitrose found that while fish stew was voted the most unpopular meal served at lunchtimes (31 per cent), cabbage (24 per cent) and broccoli (17 per cent) were voted the worst independent elements of school food.
The top dish favoured by children was revealed as pizza (17 per cent), followed closely by lasagne (11 per cent) and burger and chips (11 per cent) in joint second place.
When it comes to fruit, children prefer strawberries (20 per cent) as a healthy snack, followed by bananas (19 per cent) and grapes (13 per cent) - a move on from the traditional apple and orange often found in lunchboxes a generation ago.
Just over a third of children dine at school, with over half choosing to bring a packed lunch instead, and 48 per cent preferring a packed lunch over school dinners.
In terms of making that packed lunch, the survey found that mums (63 per cent) 'know best', with only 16 per cent of children saying that they wanted their dad to make their lunch.
The study also found that parents spend an average of between six to 10 minutes a day preparing a child’s school dinner, with one in 10 spending over 20 minutes.
Joanne Lunn, senior nutritionist at Waitrose, said: “Providing children with a nutritious lunchtime meal to get them through the school day is a top priority for parents, with our survey revealing that many children still prefer a packed lunch over school dinners.
'To help keep lunch exciting for kids, parents stated looking for inspiration firstly to TV programmes (22 per cent), followed by talking to other parents (21 per cent), and finally supermarkets (19 per cent).'
