The menu, featuring bully beef, vegetarian stew, Trench cake and suet pudding, is designed to give children and young people a taste of what life was like in the trenches and on the Home Front a century ago.
It is being served up in schools which receive catering services from the City of Wolverhampton Council on Monday 12 November, 2018 and reflects the realities of rationing at home and abroad.
At the beginning of the war, soldiers received just over 1lb of meat, 1lb of bread and 8oz of vegetables each day. But by the end of the war the official ration for the average British 'Tommy' had been reduced dramatically. Fresh meat was getting harder to come by and they received just 6oz of bully beef - corned beef; soldiers on the actual frontline got even less.
Fortunately, pupils won't go hungry when they tuck into the special Armistice Day lunch menu on 12 November. For mains they will be able to choose between bully beef hash and green cabbage served with homemade bread, or vegetarian "Machonochies" stew, made with root vegetables and served with creamed potatoes and homemade bread.
That will be followed by Trench Cake - a fruit cake traditionally made by people back home and sent to loved ones on the frontline - or sticky toffee suet pudding with custard.
Councillor Peter Bilson, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for City Assets, said: "This special menu will give young people a chance to reflect and remember those who fought for our freedom and experience a little of what soldiers in the trenches and those at home had to eat during the First World War."
Councillor Lynne Moran, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: "Schools across Wolverhampton have been holding a wide range of activities to educate pupils about the First World War, and the Armistice Day menu is a wonderful way to give them a taste of life 100 years ago."
The St George's Day menu is one of a series of celebration menus offered to mark special events, including Bonfire Night, Christmas and Diwali.
To find out more about primary and secondary school menus which are offered on a 3 week rotating basis, applying for school meals and to check eligibility for free or discounted meals, please visit Type=articles;Articleid=2945;Title=School menus;.
A wide range of events and activities have been taking place around Wolverhampton as the city marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War this year. For more information, please visit Type=links;Linkid=10601;Title=Wolverhampton Remembers;Target=_blank;.
Wolverhampton is a signatory of the Armed Forces Community Covenant, a pledge of mutual support between the city and its Armed Forces community. For details, please visit Type=links;Linkid=10848;Title=Armed Forces support;Target=_blank;.
- released: Tuesday 23 October, 2018