St Joseph’s College have been in proud partnership with our catering partner, Thomas Franks, for over 8 years now. During this time, we have supported each other through various initiatives, most recently providing hot meals for the homeless who attend the Churches in Reading Drop-in Centre (CIRDIC) as part of Thomas Franks’ Feeding Communities Initiative.
Thomas Franks have also listened to and worked with our students. Last academic year, Thomas Franks worked with our student Eco-Committee on their #ClimateAction campaign to ensure that all disposable containers, cutlery and pots were completely biodegradable.
In response to comments from our student committees this academic year, Thomas Franks will be launching a new catering offer from Monday 8 March as we welcome all staff and students back to school. Their enhanced offering comes as a result of feedback from our student forum held with representatives of all age groups in the school with Thomas Franks’ team at St Joseph’s.
The kitchen is always a hive of activity, where all the dishes and locally sourced ingredients are freshly prepared. Part of the way Thomas Franks encourages healthy eating is to provide beautifully cooked food with plenty of variety and fresh fruit and vegetables.
In 2021, they are focusing their new, COVID-19 safe items within the servery. Please see some of their exciting new items below:
- A new COVID-19 safe salad bar area and panini station
- A specific soup and bread station, enabling all soups to stay vegan
- Enhanced new menus
- The offering will be similar across the Senior and Junior sections of the College with substantial variety. The menus will be tweaked to suit the palates of the Junior pupils but still ensuring their taste buds are challenged
- Two different break options, alongside the daily cake and juice offer
- Enhanced dessert choices, with dairy-free options and a hot pudding choice on offer daily
- ‘Try Day Fridays’, based around monthly seasonal fruit and vegetables
- Allowing everyone to try something new
- Exciting, themed menus every month, such as a St Patrick’s Day and Caribbean Cruise theme menus, along with other wonderful and interesting days and events
- And many more sensational new items coming throughout 2021!
