Homecooked meals scheme launched for families with schoolchildren

Sisters Launch Low-Cost Meal Service for Families with Schoolchildren

Families in Jersey with school-aged children will soon be able to access low-cost homecooked meals thanks to a new initiative from a local food business.

Karen and Nicky Slatter, the sisters behind the community-focused company often described as a “small kitchen with a big heart,” are launching a programme to deliver weekly ready-to-eat meals to households with children aged five to sixteen.

The scheme, called Meals for School-Aged Children, begins on Wednesday 10 September and will continue weekly for as long as the business can sustain it. Each week’s menu will be shared online, with families able to order via email or Facebook. Prices will vary but, the sisters say, will always be kept “as low as possible.”

Although not a charity, the business aims to support families facing tough choices.

“We see people struggling between having the correct school uniform or having a decent meal, and that’s awful,” said co-founder Karen Slatter. “It’s horrible to think that on such a wealthy island there are still people who are struggling.”

The sisters already have a capacity limit but pledge to cook as many meals as possible each week to meet demand.

Their latest project follows earlier efforts to make nutritious food more affordable for islanders, and they hope this new scheme will ease some of the pressures parents face at the start of the school year.