Sarah Jellema went to Kingsthorne Primary in Kingstanding, to sample a school dinner...
That Jamie Oliver's got a lot to answer for.
When I left school two-and-a-half years ago, I thought I had finally escaped the over-cooked, high- fat, low- nutrition excuses that had passed for school dinners.
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But thanks to the TV chef's recent hit series on Channel 4 I was sent back to school to see what's changed.
Thankfully, the array of choices that greeted me in the cafeteria confirmed that the days of 'concrete chips' and 'soggy semolina' have come to an end.
Opting for the vegetarian nuggets, potato wedges, and peas, I took my seat among a famished group of year six students who were only too happy to let me know their thoughts on the cuisine.
"These new dinners are much better than the old ones" said ten-year-old Shannon.
" There's loads more choice and they're a lot less greasy."
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The majority of Shannon's classmates appeared to agree, despite a quick glance around the table revealing every plate but one contained turkey drummers. Along with the traditional peas and carrots, salad can now be found as an alternative option - an addition that is proving to be surprisingly popular.
Other new dishes, such as sweet and sour curry, vegetable samosas, and cheese flan, have also gone down a treat.
In comparison to my own memories of school dinners, there does appear to be some improvement. Particularly in the general lack of stodginess of the food and increased fruit options.
However, there do still seem to be a number of areas which need addressing.
The meal was extremely dry, which could not be counteracted by the small cup of marshmallow-pink strawberry milkshake that accompanied it.
The children appeared to be of the same opinion, wanting ketchup to be available and missing the salt and vinegar that is now denied them.
They were also unhappy with the drinks they were being offered and wanted to see more squash and fruit juice as opposed to the tap water or milky options.
Nonetheless the scheme is still in its early stages and the pupils' responses to the changes so far have been encouragingly positive - a mood summed up by 11-year-old James who, when asked to reveal the worst aspect of the new school dinners, replied, "Finishing them".