Here in Australia we call the school canteen “tuckshop”. Only in really large schools is the tuckshop open every day of the week otherwise its only open one or two days a week. Since the kids have been at school I’ve tried to volunteer my services in the school canteen. I only started doing it last year at the kid’s new school. Its a whole different system to schools in the UK and US I would expect. We use a ‘paper bag’ system where the children write what they want from a menu, insert the money in the paper bag and receive the food, in the paper bag, at lunch time.
It’s a stay at home Mum’s right of passage to volunteer in the school tuckshop. My Mum did it when we were at school and we loved seeing her there. She always brought home leftovers. Tuckshop was a little different in my day. All we used to have in our lunch boxes was a sandwich, a piece of fruit and maybe some crackers with Vegemite or a couple homemade biscuits. No cold bricks or insulated bags to keep the lunch cold and ‘bacteria free’. We never got sick either. Having tuckshop was a real treat. We’d order a hot meat pie with sauce or a ham and salad roll, a cream bun or cream doughnut and small can of soft drink. Now there are so many rules and regulations about what’s healthy and what’s appropriate to give the kids. They still have meat pies and fizzy drink but less sugar and less fat, supposedly.
I’ve grown to love my little Friday morning stint at the tuckshop. I make a few sandwiches, fill orders, cut up fruit, wash up and whatever else is required and have a few laughs. Lyn, the tuckshop convenor, makes the best cookies using Milo, a famous Australian chocolate milk drink powder. They’re one of the tuckshop’s best sellers and if my daughter will eat them, they’re a winner. Not sure where Lyn got the recipe but they’re really good. If you don’t have Milo, cocoa is perfectly suitable or any other chocolate milk drink powder you have.
{Lyn’s} Milo Cookies
- 125g butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 3/4 cups Self Raising flour
- 1/2 cup Milo (or other chocolate drink powder or cocoa)
- Mix sugar, flour and Milo.
- Mix butter, vanilla and egg.
- Add wet ingredients to dry.
- Roll into balls and place on a tray 5cm apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake in a 160 deg C oven until golden brown.
- Cool on a rack.
Makes 24.
I imagine those milo cookies are yummy. I might have to give them a go whilst the kids are holidays for a treat.
I must say if that's a sample of the schools tuckshop menu, I am gobsmacked. Seriously, seriously gobsmacked. I would have a concern about nearly everything on that list and my sin reacting to colours etc in it. I would only give him salad and water from that list, having not been able to check ingredients lists. I wouldn't risk something like a far less picklet in a hopes it was a home cooked one and not just add water and shake type one.
Oh goodness I can see the school not being a fan of me and my opinions on all sorts of things, when ours head off to school.
Hi Anne,
Tuckshop sure is different alright. I remember the winter tuckshop highlight in my primary school days was a savoury mince roll. Oh the joy of tucking into that on a miserable cold day! Good on you for volunteering for tuckshop – where would we be without the 'tuckshop mums'?!
Barb
YUM, our tuck shop is open every day and it amazes me the amount of kids who buy every day. I am going to make us some milo biscuits sounds good…I have been buying those huge $12 and it's been lasting a week seriously, the kids go nuts on it. Pinning these
It's so interesting how lunches work there! Wow to all those choices…I wonder if the little ones have a hard time deciding what to write on their bags. Those cookies sound delicious…I wonder if I could find Milo in the states…
Sorry to disappoint you but the tuck shop/canteen name thingo really varies from state to state and school to school. Here in the Northern Territory it is usually called a canteen and every aspect is heavily regulated by the Health Department.
Most of the foods on your list would never pass the test here. All foods must be prepared in a certified kitchen. School canteens are audited for every conceivable hygiene aspect. Dietary guidelines must be followed. No fizzy drinks, and even iced coffee is banned in some schools. No sweet biscuits or similar tooth rotters. Very few schools sell salty chips. Our prices are much higher than yours too.
Each classroom usually has a fridge for the students to store their lunches. Each child is expected to have a water bottle on their desk.
The bought lunch is wonderful for all those children who are stuck with lazy parents and for those children whose parents are unable to make lunches. Imagine if 30 people all shared your house! Some schools run accounts for certain families and get the estimated money in advance on pension day.
I remember doing Tuck Shop too sometimes Anne…and the brown paper bag LOL!
Wow, I bet these cookies are amazing. This truck shop idea is something that I am not familiar with! I guess I just need to stop by and visit you sometime! 😉
I'm doing some catching up on my blog reading so you'll be "hearing" a lot from me here soon, my friend!:D
I loved hearing about the tuck shop, Anne – the paper bag system sounds like a fantastic way to do school lunches! It's lovely you have carried on your mum's tradition of volunteering. The Milo Cookies sound absolutely delicious – quick and easy to whip up too 🙂 I've pinned this recipe and will share it on my FB page as well. Thank you for sharing this post with us at the Hearth and Soul hop.
Wow! That is **SOOOO** different from the way it is here in the States! I hate to say, but the kids here eat very unhealthy lunches at school usually (think pizza, chicken nuggets, hamburgers and french fries) – although, they are trying to change things! Those cookies sound wonderful, Anne! Pinning them to try!