食堂太难吃 校长请来米其林大厨

Forget school dinners of lumpy mashed potato, grey mince and mushy carrots. The pupils of Loreto High School certainly have. These days, thanks to a MasterChef in the school kitchen, they enjoy fresh-caught mackerel with beetroot and kale salad, or Thai-style fishcakes with pak choi. And although meals are five-star quality, they cost a mere £2.35. That includes pudding, which instead of soggy apple crumble, is more likely to be lemon and rosemary chocolate truffle. The school called in MasterChef semi-finalist Adam Leavy and Sukhdev Singh, both formerly of acclaimed Manchester restaurant Abode, after students complained about boring dinners.

忘掉食堂里一块块捣碎的土地泥，还有那灰白的肉馅和糊状的胡萝卜吧！至少洛雷托高中的孩子们是肯定已经把这些难吃的事物从脑海里删除了。最近多亏了食堂里的超级大厨，孩子们得以大饱口福：甜菜根炖鲜刀鱼、羽衣甘蓝沙拉或是泰式鱼饼配小白菜。虽然这些都是五星级的菜品，但其售价仅为2.35英镑。而布丁也可能从往日黏糊糊的苹果陷改为柠檬迷迭香松露巧克力陷。在学生对食堂无聊的饭菜大吐苦水后校方请来了这两位超级大厨亚当·利维和苏克德夫·辛格。他们曾掌勺于声名远扬的曼彻斯特饭店营业所，还进入过美版厨艺大师比赛的半决赛。

They had to go through an audition against other top quality chefs - each cooking up a two course meal from the ingredients given to them - much like on Masterchef. And the pair impressed so much that Headmaster Peter Tite instantly hired them, and now the children are tucking into the likes of smoked mackerel, kale and ciabatta - for just £2.35 a day. 'The kids don't trust some of the things we put on the plates, but most of the time they end up loving it,' said Mr Leavy, who is now cooking up to 500 school meals a day.

他们必须在面试中打败另外两名大厨—每人都用所给食材烹饪了两道美味菜品，就像美版厨艺大师比赛那样。两人清楚地记得，尝过菜品后校长就立刻决定雇佣他们，今天孩子们也得以每天仅花2.35英镑就能大口吃上熏鲭鱼、羽衣甘蓝沙拉和脆皮意大利面包。“孩子们不相信自己会真的吃到这些美味，但大多时候他们还是很爱这些事物，”利维说道。现在利维每天要为孩子们烹饪500道菜品。

A typical school lunch is now something most of us would be very happy to find on our plates while out at a fancy restaurant. An example of what the children might find on their plates on an average day is smoked mackerel, which is caught on the day, with beetroot and kale salad, and a lemon and rosemary chocolate truffle for dessert.

除了在顶级餐厅外，这样一顿校园午餐恐怕是我们大多数人都非常乐于享用到的吧。看看每天孩子们能在自己的餐盘里能找到什么，由当天现抓的食材做的熏鲭鱼配甜菜根、羽衣甘蓝沙拉，还有柠檬迷迭香陷的松露巧克力布丁。

Or if that doesn't pique their interest, the chefs are happy to whip up a chocolate mousse with caramelised biscuits and cream as a treat. The only problem now is that parents are having to contend with the chefs' high standards when cooking for their children at home. One mother said: 'My son used to complain that the food was boring. Now he comes home talking saying he will only he eat his salad with extra virgin olive oil. Gone are the days of sausage and mash. 'These are the best school meals in Britain. The only problem is my son comes home and now he turns his nose up at beans on toast.'

如果这些美味都不能挑起孩子们的兴趣，两位主厨将特别烹制一道巧克力奶油冻，另外配上焦糖饼干和奶油款待他们。现在唯一的问题是家长在家做饭时不得不要达到两位大厨的水准。一位母亲说：“过去儿子总是抱怨食堂的饭菜有多难吃。现在回到家他说他只吃由顶级纯橄榄油拌的沙拉，告别吃香肠和麦芽浆的日子了。”“这些是全英国最棒的校园菜品。但问题是现在儿子回家后开始对家里面包上的豆子嗤之以鼻，”这位母亲补充道。

Kale salad (or as they call it, 'that grass stuff') and ciabatta ('posh bread'), are the latest culinary crazes at Loreto High. Mr Singh said: 'It's a bit hit and miss. But most of the dishes they love. 'Every week we do small little testers to see their reaction. So last week we let them try some kale, and now they can't get enough of it.' The chefs' decision to leave their restaurant jobs and move into cooking at school is largely down to the hours - and the opportunity to get their lives back. This is especially important for Mr Leavy, whose first child is due in November. Mr Tite says he now has plans to ditch the plastic chairs and trays and transform the canteen into a restaurant - complete with 'special of the day' hoardings at the entrance. He added that the canteen's takings have soared since Mr Leavy and Mr Singh got into the kitchen, and staff are now vying for seats at the dining room tables alongside their pupils. Turnover has increased by 21 per cent, while 72 per cent of pupils are now having school lunches - up from 60 per cent last year. ' It's just given the whole school a lift, and it's been fantastic for our pupils from deprived backgrounds,' Mr Tite said.

羽衣甘蓝沙拉（或“草一样的东西”）和脆皮意大利面包（或“时髦的面包”）都是洛雷德高中推出的最新疯狂菜品。辛格先生说：“有时也会出点小错，但多数时候孩子们还是很喜欢这些菜品的。每周我们都会做一些试吃样品，看看孩子们的反应。就在上周我们让孩子们尝了一些羽衣甘蓝，现在他们已经离不开它了。”这两位主厨决定离开饭店到食堂工作主要是因为工作时间不长，能够顾得上私人生活。这对利维很重要，因为11月他的第一个孩子就要降生了。泰特先生说他现在计划换掉塑料椅和塑料托盘，把食堂变成餐厅，并在食堂入口处拉上写有“今日特色菜”的横幅。 他还补充道自打利维和辛格掌勺开始，食堂的收入就一路飙升。现在就连食堂工作人员也和孩子们抢着在餐厅占个座。营业额已经涨了21%，并且现在在食堂吃午饭的孩子从去年的60%涨到了72%。“这不仅提升了学校的档次，对那些来自贫困家庭的孩子而言也是不可思议的事，”泰特说道。