Crooked Billet offers a lesson in dinners

An Oxfordshire pub is serving school dinners to a nearby primary school.

The Crooked Billet, winner of the Waitrose Gastro Pub of the Year 2005, is working with teachers and pupils to create a healthy, locally-sourced, organic menu.

Stoke Row Church of England School, near Henley, now offers pupils dishes such as lamb casserole, chicken stir-fry and goat's cheese souffle for £2 a head.

Crooked Billet owner Paul Clerehugh said: 'I visited the school and only four out of 84 children were eating school dinners because they were from the council's central kitchens, barely warm and mostly from a tin.'

Clerehugh had to make a lot of changes to the pub to accommodate legislation for cooking school meals.

He said: 'I had to buy a new refrigeration system to store the food and I have to know every single ingredient to advise the school of any allergy risks.'

The school is only five minutes away and collects the meals from the pub in a minibus.

The Crooked Billet hasn't taken on any extra staff to cope with the work but no one seems to mind doing a little extra.

'It means a bit more work in the mornings but everyone is keen to help out and it's for a good cause,' Clerehugh added.

But he is frustrated that the Government charges VAT on school dinners, saying: 'I think its ridiculous the Government charges VAT on this.

'The pub is an important part of the community and so is the school, so I'll do all I can to help,' Clerehugh added.