YOUNGSTERS across York were welcomed back to school after the Easter break with healthier school meals.

Starting this week, and following the national frenzy of interest in school dinners generated by TV chef Jamie Oliver, school meals in York have been given a facelift.

A range of new healthier menus and school meals were launched on Monday.

They aim to do away with preformed products such as chicken or turkey drummers or twizzlers and replace them with shepherds pie and lasagne.

Menus have been developed which reduce the amount of salt and sugar, meals are now cooked in vegetable fat and fruit and vegetables are also available.

The move comes after a Government announcement that an extra £260 million nationally will be spent on school meals.

Although it is still unknown how much of this will be going to the local education authority in York, it is likely that when it does come the extra money will be spent on ingredients and staff training.

Schools are delegated funds by the education authority to provide school meals and they then find their own caterers.

Many get their school meals from North Yorkshire County Caterers, others empty private contractors or employ their own staff.

According to a survey by a national newspaper and published in the Evening Press recently, the amount being spent on food for the average school dinner in York is just 44p.

A City of York Council spokesman said: "We have already had a healthy school meals campaign running for over a year now and new menus with healthy options have now been launched."

In North Yorkshire preformed chicken and turkey products were taken off the menu in September last year and the amount of people having school menus has since gone up five per cent.

Updated: 11:41 Wednesday, April 06, 2005