Bradford was a grim place for the poor in the 19th Century, with a lot of extreme poverty. Children suffered in spite of sacrifice by their parents. At this time also children were brought from London workhouses to work in the mills. Dirt was a problem.

Right up to the early part of this century some children were ‘sewn up’ for the winter – wrapped in flannel which was then sewn into place and not removed until the warm weather came. Some parents thought that this was necessary because there was not enough food to keep a child warm otherwise.

In April 1907 Dr Ralph Crowley, School medical Officer, wanted to chart the effect of feeding on the physical condition of children. He was granted £50 from the Lord Mayor to cover his costs, and he selected 109 children whose condition showed that they were not properly fed. 40 of the children were given breakfast and dinner during the school week. They were weighed each week, and the record was contrasted with that of the other 69 children who were also weighed weekly but not fed at school. None of the children were fed in the holidays. The sudden drop in weight during the Whit holiday and at the close of the experiment clearly showed the necessity for continuing to feed children at school.

click on the image to see it larger

Breakfast – oatmeal porridge with milk or treacle, bread and margarine or dripping and milk to drink.

Two course dinner – (from 17 different menus) meat and potato pie, bread, milk pudding, stewed fruit. Cost – 1/7d

Cost to the family – 2d per child.

17 meals were devised to provide what was considered to be the right nutritional balance. Meat was included on Tuesday and Thursday each week, and fish on Friday. These recipes were published in a booklet which was given to parents, to encourage them to prepare similar meals at home.

Cooking

Part of the school gymnasium was divided off and equipped as a central kitchen. The boiler which heated the swimming bath provided steam for cooking and hot water for washing up.

The building consisted of a kitchen, an office and a store room.

The equipment consisted of three 100 gallon and two 50 gallon steam jacketed pans – one of these was to prepare the soup and had a tap wide enough to allow the pieces of meat to pass through. Another was fitted with a wire cage for cooking potatoes in. This was attached to a pulley which could be raised up when the potatoes were cooked, and lowered to the place where they could be prepared for serving. There were labour-saving machines for preparing the food, operated by drive belts or by hand. One of these was for scraping and washing potatoes; another was for mincing meat. For meat, fish and fruit pies, two large gas ovens were used. The steamers were used to cook soups, stews, vegetables, milk puddings, fruit and porridge. Roly-poly, ginger and other suet puddings were cooked in the large presses. Bread was bought from a local baker.

(Later, the number of children rose and in the winter of 1908-9 breakfasts were also given, with 2,000 breakfasts being served and 3,500 dinners. The building was extended, with larger machines worked by an electric motor. There were by now 10 staff – a chef, assistant chef and eight kitchen porters. A large baker’s oven saved the cost of buying the bread and meant that cakes could be made on some days instead of puddings. By this time there were 13 ‘feeding stations’ across the city).

Three women and one man were employed in the kitchen at first.

The kitchen was capable of providing dinners for 1500 – 2000 children each day.

Delivering

At first the dining halls were at five different centres including Green Lane and Usher Street .

The pies travelled in boxes lined with cork dust and the liquid food was put in cans lined with cotton. The insulation ensured the dinners were thoroughly hot when served. Sliced bread, plates, mugs, spoons and forks were also sent neatly packed. Everything was transported in a new motor van especially adapted to carry the heavy weight up the Bradford hills.

Serving

The children ate at tables for twelve. Infants and small eaters were served at separate tables. They were served by teachers and monitors (older children). The Education Committee were grateful for the teachers’ help and support of the scheme and decided to pay 6d per day to each teacher helping to supervise the meals.

The children had to try to eat the first course, or no pudding was given. They were allowed more than one helping, but they understood that food asked for must be eaten. The first course was cleared away before the second was served. There was no waste – the plate scrapings were returned to the kitchen and added to the swill which was sold for animal feed.

Each week clean tablecloths and overalls were provided. Flowers and plants were put on the tables at some of the dining rooms. The children were expected to come with clean hands and faces and to keep the tablecloths as clean as possible. Conversation was allowed during the meal, and the children were trained in good manners and quiet behaviour at tables.

The Benefits

Teachers said that the children benefited both physically and mentally by the meals, and were more able to take advantage of the education provided for them. They also said that the behaviour and manners of the children were improved. “Children respond very quickly to the quiet, refined surroundings. The clean, light, airy room, the order and cheerful kindliness shown to them by the teachers cannot fail to be an influence for good.”

The Opening Ceremony

placeholder

On Monday 28 th October 1907 - the kitchen's official opening - dinner was provided for 750 children. It consisted of scotch barley broth and fruit tart, with bread and a mug of water for each child. Many local dignitaries and other important people attended, and after the food had been sent to the dining halls the Lady Mayoress declared the food depot open.