Jamie Oliver's Best Ally Is 9-Year-Old Blogger

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Nine-year-old Martha Payne has tapped into the healthy foods Zeitgeist. Since April 30, when she posted her first blog entry on “Never Seconds: One primary school pupil’s daily dose of school dinners,” the site has had more than 625,000 site visits. Her site is popular on Twitter, and she’s become a media hit.

Martha set out to blog the lunches at Lochgilpead Primary School in Argyll, Scotland. She rates her lunches on a scale that includes:

Food-o-meter- Out of 10 a rank of how great my lunch was!
Mouthfuls- How else can we judge portion size!
Courses- Starter/main or main/dessert
Health Rating- Out of 10, can healthy foods top the food-o-meter?
Price- Currently £2 I think, its all done on a cashless catering card
Pieces of hair- It wont happen, will it?

The first lunch she photographed ranked 6 on the Food-o-meter, 4 on health. Her comment about it was classic kid:

The pizza in the first pic was alright but I’d have enjoyed more than 1 croquet. I’m a growing kid and I need to concentrate all afternoon and I cant do it on 1 croquette. Do any of you think you could?

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Photos from Martha Payne's Never Seconds blog

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Michael I.

5:30AM PDT on Jun 16, 2012

So a local authority runs scared not out of a young schoolgirl's (an intending journalist) blog but, in reality, of an irresponsible headline in a cheap newspaper. Doesn't this prove the need to hold the Leveson inquiry? Martha, you may be a budding journalist, but it could be wise to consider an alternative career.

June 16
send a green star

Jessica S.

5:18AM PDT on Jun 16, 2012

This is a 9 year old child for goodness sake, she is to be applauded for her efforts not only from an educational point of view in terms of her blog, but also the fantastic job she is doing fundraising, it is very sad that this has been hijacked for political ends, however as usual with these things she has had the last laugh! Amazing over £45k now!

Dylan P.

4:57AM PDT on Jun 15, 2012

Hi.
At my secondary school they offer a range of food that is meant to be "healthy" but does not look or taste healthy in the slightest. On a Friday, we have Fish And Chips (Being a Catholic School) however there seems to be more batter than fish and the fish is extremely oily. There has been one day where I found an Egg shell in my cake (Salmonella much!). I study catering at GCSE so I have been taught how things should be cooked and prepared and how they should be portioned. Ok I get portioning and portion control but it is just ridiculous portioning they give us! In a lasagna, there is so much oil that drips from it (Lasagna shouldn't even have oil!).
I think this is a Nationwide epidemic that the Government need to fix NOW!

June 15
send a green star

Christine M.

4:28AM PDT on Jun 15, 2012

my 15 year old son told me the other day that they have 1 option for dinner, and if you dont like it then you go hungry, also no drink is included in the £2. my son had one day for lunch, 1 turkey drummer, 2 new potatoes & a teaspoon of veg, with a jelly for afters. He told me he couldnt concentrate in lessons because he was hungry & the food was cold. Good on this girl for highlighting a national problem. Bring back larger portions

Lika S.

12:28AM PDT on Jun 10, 2012

Why can't we make home made food for kid's schools?