食堂太難吃 校長請來米其林大廚

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.
忘掉食堂裏一塊塊搗碎的土地泥，還有那灰白的肉餡和糊狀的胡蘿蔔吧！至少洛雷託高中的孩子們是肯定已經把這些難吃的事物從腦海裏刪除了。最近多虧了食堂裏的超級大廚，孩子們得以大飽口福：甜菜根燉鮮刀魚、羽衣甘藍沙拉或是泰式魚餅配小白菜。雖然這些都是五星級的菜品，但其售價僅爲2.35英鎊。而布丁也可能從往日黏糊糊的蘋果陷改爲檸檬迷迭香松露巧克力陷。在學生對食堂無聊的飯菜大吐苦水後校方請來了這兩位超級大廚亞當·利維和蘇克德夫·辛格。他們曾掌勺於聲名遠揚的曼徹斯特飯店營業所，還進入過美版廚藝大師比賽的半決賽。

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.
他們必須在面試中打敗另外兩名大廚—每人都用所給食材烹飪了兩道美味菜品，就像美版廚藝大師比賽那樣。兩人清楚地記得，嘗過菜品後校長就立刻決定僱傭他們，今天孩子們也得以每天僅花2.35英鎊就能大口吃上薰鯖魚、羽衣甘藍沙拉和脆皮意大利麪包。“孩子們不相信自己會真的吃到這些美味，但大多時候他們還是很愛這些事物，”利維說道。現在利維每天要爲孩子們烹飪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.
除了在頂級餐廳外，這樣一頓校園午餐恐怕是我們大多數人都非常樂於享用到的吧。看看每天孩子們能在自己的餐盤裏能找到什麼，由當天現抓的食材做的薰鯖魚配甜菜根、羽衣甘藍沙拉，還有檸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.'
如果這些美味都不能挑起孩子們的興趣，兩位主廚將特別烹製一道巧克力奶油凍，另外配上焦糖餅乾和奶油款待他們。現在唯一的問題是家長在家做飯時不得不要達到兩位大廚的水準。一位母親說：“過去兒子總是抱怨食堂的飯菜有多難吃。現在回到家他說他只吃由頂級純橄欖油拌的沙拉，告別吃香腸和麥芽漿的日子了。”“這些是全英國最棒的校園菜品。但問題是現在兒子回家後開始對家裏麪包上的豆子嗤之以鼻，”這位母親補充道。

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.
羽衣甘藍沙拉（或“草一樣的東西”）和脆皮意大利麪包（或“時髦的麪包”）都是洛雷德高中推出的最新瘋狂菜品。辛格先生說：“有時也會出點小錯，但多數時候孩子們還是很喜歡這些菜品的。每週我們都會做一些試吃樣品，看看孩子們的反應。就在上週我們讓孩子們嚐了一些羽衣甘藍，現在他們已經離不開它了。”這兩位主廚決定離開飯店到食堂工作主要是因爲工作時間不長，能夠顧得上私人生活。這對利維很重要，因爲11月他的第一個孩子就要降生了。泰特先生說他現在計劃換掉塑料椅和塑料托盤，把食堂變成餐廳，並在食堂入口處拉上寫有“今日特色菜”的橫幅。 他還補充道自打利維和辛格掌勺開始，食堂的收入就一路飆升。現在就連食堂工作人員也和孩子們搶着在餐廳佔個座。營業額已經漲了21%，並且現在在食堂吃午飯的孩子從去年的60%漲到了72%。“這不僅提升了學校的檔次，對那些來自貧困家庭的孩子而言也是不可思議的事，”泰特說道。