A FORMER schoolteacher has highlighted at Holyrood the freshly cooked school meals being served up in East Lothian’s primary schools.

Martin Whitfield, who taught at Prestonpans Primary School and Dirleton Primary School and is now a South Scotland MSP, praised East Lothian Council in the Scottish Parliament.

The local authority’s catering teams received the Food For Life Served Here Silver Award last month.

The nationally recognised mark of food quality for school meals was awarded to each of the county’s primary schools.

Independent assessments and inspections ensured that the food being served is good for pupils’ health, good for the environment and good for the local economy.

Mr Whitfield submitted a motion, which was backed by East Lothian MSP Paul McLennan, at Holyrood.

The motion reads: “That the Parliament congratulates East Lothian Council’s primary school catering teams for their success in being awarded the Food for Life Served Here Silver Award at an event at Haddington joint campus dining hall, at St Mary’s RC Primary School; understands that the prestigious award, run by the Soil Association Scotland, is a nationally-recognised mark of food quality for school meals and that local authorities receive it following an independent assessment and inspection to ensure that the food being served in schools across the council area is good for pupils’ health, the environment and for the local economy; notes that it has been awarded to all of East Lothian’s 37 primary schools, and believes that this is well-deserved recognition of both the skill and commitment of the council’s school kitchen staff to creating fresh meals daily and the successful sourcing of as much locally-grown and produced ingredients as possible.”