Princess Elizabeth, St Leonards, High School Yards, Spinney Lane,Calderglen and Balgreen nursery schools began serving hot meals onMonday (24 November).
Grassmarket, Stanwell and Hope Cottage are to have their kitchensre-opened once staff have been recruited.
Edinburgh council announced in May that it would be closing the kitchensin all but four of the city's council nurseries, and in six primaryschools. Hot meals were to be prepared in neighbouring schools andtransported in insulated boxes to the schools and nurseries (News, 15May).
However, parents complained that nursery children were only being givenunhealthy packed lunches that contained items like processed cheesesandwiches, muffins and jelly (News, 12 June).
Kirkliston Primary School will also have its kitchen re-opened. Parentsmanaged to more than double the number of children taking schools mealsat Kirkliston, from 40 to nearly 90.
Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, convener for Education, Children andFamilies, said, 'It is great news that the kitchen at Kirkliston Primaryschool is re-opening and I congratulate the parents for their sterlingefforts to improve the uptake of school meals. If numbers increaseelsewhere I am confident we will be able to re-open more schoolkitchens. We are committed to encouraging healthy eating in our schoolsand appreciate the particular importance of this in the early years wheneating patterns for life are established.
'We have also written to all nursery head teachers to establish thedemand for hot meals and an action plan is now in place to reintroducehot meals at nine nursery schools.'
