We strive to help every child fulfil their potential, not just in the classroom but across every aspect of school life – including how they are nourished and cared for. Dining is an important aspect of life at Barney as mealtimes bring us together as a community.
We encourage independence and healthy choices; pupils enjoy selecting from our freshly prepared, nutritious meals in the vibrant setting dining hall.
Not only does the dining hall provide a unique social setting, but it also helps us to reinforce our care for pupils by providing them with high-quality, nutritious meals and educating them on the benefits of enjoying a balanced diet and leading healthy, active lives.
Boarders generally take all their meals together. Breakfast, lunch and tea are freshly prepared daily and served by our in-school catering team. Breakfast is served at 7.35am and tea is at 5.15pm. Lunch is taken as a whole school in our magnificent dining hall.
Boarders are, of course, fully catered for at weekends too. Saturday tea is a relaxed occasion, generally with a theme such as burger night or Chinese night. Sunday breakfast is substantial and followed by Sunday roast in the evening, which can be served at lunch or tea time depending upon the boarders’ activity schedule. When boarders are on excursions, the school catering team supplies healthy packed lunches, or sometimes they enjoy eating out together.
Day pupils do have the option to join our boarders for breakfast and tea; this can help ease the pressure on parents for drop off and pick up. This is a popular and valuable option for Sixth Form students when they want to stay into the evening to study or revise.
Menus:
We cater for special dietary needs and allergies, with menu items marked as vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. Menus are available for pupils and parents to view at any time, and our Catering Manager is always keen to discuss specific requirements. The serving team are very well informed about individual pupils’ needs and about the ingredients within each dish.
Our Summer and Winter seasonal menus are rotated on a three-week basis to provide plenty of variety and choice from a range of hot and cold main courses, including a full salad bar. Popular lunch choices include Wednesday’s carvery and fish and chips on Friday. Breakfast choices change daily, varying between continental, waffles and pancakes, and full English.
Local suppliers, such as Organic Acorn Dairy and Peat’s Butchers, are used as much as possible. The views of pupils are important to us and boarders have the chance to contribute to the development of catering through the boarding Food Committee, which provides a regular forum for sharing their views with the Catering Manager and Headmaster.
Fine dining
As some of our chefs have had previous experience working in restaurants and hotels, they are able to offer a superb standard of food to suit a more high-end dining experience. Our Sixth Formers have several formal dinners over the course of their two years. One of which is the finale of our Year 12 Confidence Course.
Meet the team
The Catering Department plays a vital part in Barney’s mission. Whether through daily meals that fuel young minds, welcoming spaces that build friendships, or standout events that bring the community together, the team is committed to enriching the school experience – plate by plate, day by day.
- Leading the charge is Sean, our new Catering Manager, who is a former British Army chef with a postgraduate level 7 in leadership and management, whose extensive experience in educational and contract catering brings both stability and innovation.
- Ben, our newly appointed Head Chef, is known for his creativity with seasonal, locally sourced produce and for his classic approach to comforting, high-quality dishes.
- Tim, our Sous Chef, whose depth of experience and practical leadership style help guide and upskill the team.
- Shannon, our Front of House and Hospitality supervisor, brings a uniquely caring and customer-focused approach. Her background in early years education and hospitality, along with supervisory roles in local establishments, makes her especially attuned to pupil experience and inclusivity.
And it’s not just the leadership team making the difference. Our dedicated day-to-day catering workforce—including Olga, Laura, Jenny, Katya, Farhin, Priya, Mark, Mai, Debbie, James, Amanda, Joy, Barbara, Andrey, James, and Darren, Sabai, Ruthie, Dan, Georgia, Joanna, Kev, Rebecca are the heartbeat of the operation. Their hard work, friendly smiles, and consistent dedication support our day students, boarders, teaching, and operational staff throughout every term.