THERE was a surprise guest in the lunch queue at Haydonleigh Primary School on Thursday.

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson paid a visit to join the children as they tucked into one of their award winning school meals.

Haydonleigh recently received its second consecutive gold 'Food for Life' certification, courtesy of the Soil Association.

The award recognises the school's commitment to serving "local, fresh and honest food cooked by chefs who really care about quality and ingredients, in a setting that takes health and well-being seriously".

Sue Heath, business manager at Haydonleigh, said: "We got our first gold award three years ago. They last for three years and we've just met all the requirements again and had the award renewed.

"We're really fortunate here, we have such a lovely team in our kitchen who are all employed by the school.

"They produce wonderful meals that the children really enjoy."

The phrase 'you get what you're given' could have often been applied to school meals in previous years but at Haydonleigh, the children get what their peers have given their seal of approval too.

A special group of ambassadors, chosen from year five, meet regularly with the kitchen team to discuss menu options, new food choices, the atmosphere in the dining room and much more.

"It's lovely," said Sue. "They're really enthusiastic about their role.

"They get to test new items of food to put on the menu and soon they're going to have a meal where they can offer feedback - good and bad - to the kitchen team."

Justin's visit marked National School Meals Week, an event that the staff always like to celebrate as a way of marking the importance of good, healthy food for pupils.

Speaking after tucking into his lunch, Justin said: "I thoroughly enjoyed my school dinner today which was delicious and nutritious.

"A big well done to Haydonleigh for achieving this award and highlighting the brilliant work going on in our schools to provide healthy lunches."