Lunchtime at Carolside Primary School in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, and the dinner hall is full of pupils tucking into their healthy, balanced school lunches. On the menu is chicken curry with boiled rice and garden peas, quorn burgers or baked potatoes and baguettes with a choice of filling. This school is embracing the canteen revolution which has been enforced under new laws governing the nutritional levels of school dinners.

Lunchtime at Carolside Primary School in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, and the dinner hall is full of pupils tucking into their healthy, balanced school lunches. On the menu is chicken curry with boiled rice and garden peas, quorn burgers or baked potatoes and baguettes with a choice of filling. This school is embracing the canteen revolution which has been enforced under new laws governing the nutritional levels of school dinners.

Fiona Lunday, catering co-ordinator for East Renfrewshire Council, said: "The difficulty is getting children to try new things when they tend to say I don't like' before they have even tasted it. We do taster sessions with children where they can try all different kinds of homemade soups and we can let them see how it's made. It's important to get the kids on board - we need their feedback as they are the customers and we would fail if we had empty dinner halls.

"Everything has to comply. The chips we use are low fat - we fry them for less time so they are not getting so soaked in the oils - and the fish has a healthier crumb. Our hot dogs are lower in salt and lower in fat while the pizza we use is actually quite a healthy dish.

"It was a struggle to start with but it is getting easier. Teachers have seen a difference in the behaviour of the children because they're not eating all the additives."

Primary seven pupil Mirren Kelly, 11, said: "I like the food at school because it's good for you and it makes you healthy. My favourite is a cheese toastie because the bread is really nice and I get lettuce to put in it."

The school has an "eat as much as you want" policy on lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

"It used to just be all cakes and crisps, but now it's fruit and healthy snack-bars," Mirren added.