CHILDREN at Bridestowe Primary will enjoy fresh cooked meals again thanks to a summer refurbishment of the school's kitchen,?writes Tom?French.

Over the school holidays, the kitchen has been refurbished and fitted with a brand new cooker, providing the primary with a 'production kitchen' for the first time since the end of the 2010/11 academic year.

The kitchen was forced to close at that time due to cuts in school dinner subsidies from Devon County Council.

Since then, school meals at Bridestowe had been provided by Okehampton Primary School.

The re-opening of the kitchen means the school meals will again be cooked fresh on site. The kitchen will be managed by food company Devon Norse.

The move also means good news for two of Bridestowe's sister schools in the Dartmoor Federation, Lydford Primary and Boasley Cross Primary. Meals for pupils at these schools will be prepared in the kitchen at Bridestowe after the October half-term.

The school welcomes Sarah Davies back to the kitchen as cook, and parents and pupils alike sampled some of her cooking at a special taster session on Monday.

Visitors enjoyed freshly made bread, flapjacks, and had the chance to see some of the meals served up each lunchtime.

School meals will cost £2.15 a day, the same as when meals were provided by Okehampton Primary School.

Bridestowe Primary's headteacher Michael Brady said: 'It is fantastic for the children to have school meals freshly cooked back on the school site. As of September, the change was immediately noticeable.

'It is great to have the smells of freshly prepared food wafting around the school again in the morning, and makes you ready for a nice lunch. It helps with learning to have fresh food.

'There is a family feel about Bridestowe Primary School, something which had been slightly lost following the loss of the kitchen in 2011. Now that feeling is fully back, and it is fantastic.

'The kitchen provides a good product for children, and helps with nutrition and learning.

'We consulted with parents before we made the decision to re-open the kitchen, and there was huge, overwhelming support from them for school meals to be prepared here.

'Now, we need that support from parents to buy the school meals for their children to ensure that the school kitchen is viable and pupils continue to enjoy high quality food prepared here.'