Set in 60 acres of glorious Dorset countryside, Castle Court has been providing an outstanding and innovative education in an inspiring and naturally beautiful learning environment for over 70 years. Based near Wimborne, the school’s food is headed by New Zealander Mike Worters, who has revolutionised the eating experience for pupils since he joined in September 2021.
Expanding Kitchen Horizons
After passing his qualifications in Australia, Mike worked in the buzzing Brisbane restaurant scene before deciding it was time to see a bit of the world and expand his kitchen horizons. “I moved to London and started working for restaurants before getting a role for a corporate contract caterer. I then moved into the development chef world and that’s where I first began my work in schools. I was Head of Innovation for a school caterer, so it opened my eyes to how our kids were being fed and fuelled. I became passionate about doing it better. My role was to drive creativity, improve the quality and the nutritional value, and ensure better relationships with food from an early age.”
After having enough of the travelling to London from his home in Dorset, following the pandemic Mike got in contact with a local school, Castle Court, and pitched his ideas. “I get a real buzz out of making a difference in kids’ lives and generating excitement around mealtimes, so I harassed the local school, Castle Court, with my vision and thankfully, they went for it. When I started, frozen food ruled, the choice was poor and they used the cheapest ingredients. I began by sourcing the meat from a local butcher, finding a vegetable supplier, switching in wholegrains for all the pasta and rice, launching a ‘Meat Free Monday’ and, most importantly, prepared a daily changing menu from scratch. We cater for around 300 pupils each day, so we serve in two sittings and also create match teas for parents following sports matches each Tuesday and Wednesday.”
What Castle Court Provides
“We have a breakfast club, we provide homemade sweet and savoury treats plus fruit at first break, weekly specials, a pasta dish every day, a salad bar, freshly baked bread and we really try to expand our pupils’ food spheres. It’s as much about building good habits and getting kids excited about food as it is about nutrition. Some of the dishes we have run recently include gnocchi with a tomato and basil sauce, Mexican beef tacos, a Japanese yakisoba noodle stir fry, pulled pork wraps and chicken shish kebabs. Last summer I even got a couple of big oil drums and made old school barbecues, which I would light up on Fridays.”
Country Range Staples
“The Country Range brand is our staple saviour, whether it’s chopped tomatoes, baked beans, spices or the excellent Signature Double Crunch Fries. The Signature Sidewinders are another great product and one that enables our chefs to be creative.”
With an ambition to teach the kids where their food comes from, Mike is looking to set up a vegetable patch in 2025 and has even reached out to a local beekeeper about the possibility of some hives to produce some Castle Court honey on site.