They�re cooked from scratch... and ideal for children. A pilot scheme is shaking up school meals. By Alan MacDermid and Andrew Denholm.

The food catered to the most discerning palates you can hope to find; the staff were attentive; and there wasn't a cross word from the chef.

And the bill? No charge, sir - unless of course you're a taxpayer.

Welcome to St Michael's Primary School in Dumbarton, one of the Scottish schools where the benefits of universal free school meals are being tested.

A total of 35,000 pupils - every child from primary 1, 2 and 3 in East Ayrshire, Glasgow and West Dunbartonshire - will take part in the pilot between now and the end of March.

The scheme is wedded to the promotion of more attractive and healthier menus for school lunches.

The dining room at St Michael's was going like a fair yesterday, as waves of four to seven-year-olds queued for their three-course selections.

The standard was well up to anything an adult could ask for from a decent modern cafeteria, and even for the fussiest child it clearly cut the mustard. With four main courses to choose from, some of the Oliver Twists seemed to have got their requests for seconds in first.

Janetta Griffin, the head dinner lady, said: "The children are getting a good, balanced meal and that is the main thing. There is a friendly atmosphere, and the food is all cooked from scratch on the premises, with no fat or salt added. It is a change for the better - the lifestyle of a child is a lot better if you get their diet right at an early age."

She still makes mince and potatoes one day every four weeks - tomorrow, as it happens - and other traditional staples such as steak pie, fish and chips, and custard still pop up among the couscous, lasagne and broccoli florets. Semolina and mashed turnips, however, are a thing of the past.

"It is a child-friendly menu,"

she said. "We don't do hot dogs because there are too many unhealthy ingredients in them. But we do fajitas, and chicken korma."

(Chicken korma? Healthy? Janetta's tip - use low-fat yoghurt and coconut milk instead of cream.) A few parents had dropped by to see the new service in action. Claire Strain, 33, whose son Kian is in P3, said: "I think it is an excellent idea, particularly in terms of developing their social skills and trying to move away from the stigma of the free meal ticket.

"If they have an early start, they are more likely to make good healthy choices as they grow up."

Tom Currie, 36, with sons Evan in P2 and Leo in P1, said that the four-week menu cycle meant the children could talk over with their parents what they would be getting for lunch the following day.

"It has come a long way from the days of mince and tatties that I remember," he said. "Making it free for everyone will be a great help, too, as before it cost £1.47 each per day. During the period of the pilot I will save £167 on each of them, so it is certainly worth trying."

The £5m scheme has been warmly welcomed, and not just in West Dunbartonshire.

Gordon Matheson, the executive member for education in Glasgow, said that he hoped the exercise would see uptake of school meals in primary rising from the current level of 65% to around 85%.

"My hope is that both parents and pupils will benefit from this initiative and will use this opportunity for a healthy, nutritious and hot meal each lunchtime," he said.

The Scottish Government's latest drive builds on Hungry for Success, a strategy launched in 2002 by the former administration to improve school meals and tackle obesity among Scotland's young people, who are among the least fit in the world.

While that scheme was praised for improving the food on offer in schools, there was concern that the biggest single impact on eating habits would be to provide school meals for free.

At the time, the Scottish Socialist Party drew up a Bill calling for universal access to free school meals for all pupils. However, this was opposed by the former Scottish Executive on the grounds that help was better directed at those who needed it most, such as schools in the most deprived areas.

In oppposition, the SNP argued that Hungry for Success did not go far enough and unveiled plans for all pupils from P1 to P3 to be given free school meals.

The current pilot is the first step towards that goal and aims to examine the effects that universal provision can have on pupils' health.

Ministers will also closely evaluate the pilots for evidence on eating habits in school and at home. They will also consider practical issues around school dining halls as well as the development of social skills.

Adam Ingram, the Children's Minister, said: "This is about more than school meals. These children will get the chance to sit down and eat with friends every day to develop a taste for healthier foods together.

"We hope these good lifestyle habits will stay with them as they grow up."

Mr Ingram has already told MSPs that the Scottish Government hopes to roll the scheme out to all pupils in the first three years of primary school if the pilot project is a success. Such a move would cost between £30m and £46m a year.

Campaigners yesterday welcomed the government initiative.

Glasgow SNP MSP Bob Doris said: "Today is a defining moment. It is a step change for both the health of Glasgow and the social cohesion of our city's communities."

The Child Poverty Action Group hailed the move as a "massive step forward". John Dickie, head of the campaign group in Scotland, said: "Universal free school meals could make a huge impact in tackling family poverty and improving children's health and ability to learn.

"The sooner the Scottish Government rolls out free school meals to all children, the better, so it is vital that the pilot programme succeeds.

"Providing high-quality nutritious meals in attractive surroundings and ensuring that pupils, teachers and parents are involved in the pilots at every stage will be crucial to that success."

However, there was also concern that the initiative may not be as effective as is hoped.

Professor Derek Colquhoun, from Hull University's Centre for Education, carried out research into a similar free school meals scheme in Hull. He warned that not all children would be persuaded by the new menus.

"Even if, like Hull, schools do offer free food, you don't get more than 65-70% of children taking up these free meals, simply because some children don't like the meals and some parents like to give their kids packed lunches," he warned. "We think that 65%-70% is really what the scheme should be aiming for."

Concerns also persist over the most effective way of improving Scotland's health. Tam Baillie, of Barnardo's Scotland, said: "One of the main issues we have to address is that we have got 25% of children living in poverty in Scotland, but only 19% qualify for free school meals. That's a gap that has to be addressed and will remain outstanding, regardless of what happens with the free school meals pilot."

When a similar campaign was launched in the US it took more than a year for children to begin to change their habits.

Dr Wendy Wrieden, lecturer in nutrition at Dundee University, said: "It is a step in the right direction, but it will not be long enough to show the health benefits and may not be long enough to show other impacts."