Bloom Community Kitchen appointed as Dalmain’s new school lunch and food education provider!
We are super-delighted to announce that we have now been officially appointed as the school meal provider and food education partner at Dalmain Primary School in our much beloved Forest Hill!!
It’s been a long journey but we are chuffed to bits to be here!
Dalmain is a truly special school, with really wonderful teachers and support staff and an exceptional educational ethos. It feels hugely meaningful to begin Bloom Community Kitchen’s journey in a place that already reflects so many of the values we care about most. The warmth, care and sense of belonging within the school is unmistakable, and the community that Dalmain’s staff have helped build is something really extraordinary.
Full disclosure, I am a wee bit biased as my son has been a pupil at the school for the last 5 years, and without doubt, we’ve seen him flourish! When he started there back in 2021 he was this fuzzy, tiny ball of wonder. Now, nearly 5 school years later (yelp!) we’ve seen him develop into this awesome, hirsute, giant ball of wonder! His creativity, kindness and intellect have all been unleashed by the wonderful, nurturing teams that have supported his education since day one. He’s super happy there, as are all of his buddies, it really is a magical space.
So this further leads to our delight in being appointed, and we take this position very seriously indeed. Although this is our first foray into formal contract catering I personally have been a chef, on and off, for over 30 years (also yelp!!). In that time my passion and dedication to providing an excellent, safe and respectful service has been honed and rarified. It is a genuine thrill to be bringing my own expertise as well as our team’s skill and vision to this most spectacular establishment.
From the beginning, B.C.K. has been built around the belief that school food can and should do more. It should nourish children well, support their wellbeing, spark curiosity, build confidence and contribute positively to the wider culture of a school. We are thrilled to now have the opportunity to bring that vision to life at Dalmain.
Our approach to school food is fresh, practical and rooted in care. We will be serving vibrant, seasonal meals made with high-quality ingredients, with menus designed to feel both nourishing and exciting for children. Alongside this, we will be introducing our Super Salad Six — a colourful daily self-serve salad offer that gives children more choice, more independence and more opportunities to build a positive relationship with healthy food.
We are also excited to be rethinking the dining experience itself. Plans for the redevelopment of the school hall will help create a lunch environment that feels calmer, more inviting and more reflective of the importance of mealtimes in the school day. We believe the dining hall is part of the product, and that the way food is presented, served and experienced matters enormously.
Beyond lunch service, Bloom Community Kitchen will also be delivering a hands-on food education programme, helping children to prepare, taste, grow and understand food in meaningful ways. Our ambition is to align our work not only with great food, but with wider public health and educational outcomes — supporting children’s wellbeing, confidence, concentration and long-term relationship with food. We believe school food works best when it is joined up with learning, health and community, rather than treated as something separate.
One of the things we are especially excited about is the opportunity to build more food-led community involvement around the school. There will be lots of opportunities for parents and carers to get involved, from food events and shared experiences to moments of learning, tasting and celebration. We want the food culture at Dalmain to feel open, welcoming and shared.
We are also looking forward to introducing our new ordering and communications app, which will give parents and carers much greater visibility and control over their children’s school meals. From menu choices and dietary information to clearer day-to-day oversight, we hope this will make the school food experience feel more transparent, more responsive and more connected for families.
It is a real privilege to have been given this opportunity by Dalmain. We are full of excitement about what lies ahead and deeply committed to building something thoughtful, nourishing and genuinely valuable for the whole school community.
We cannot wait to get started!
See you all at drop off tomorrow!
Chef Phil
B>C>K