A school cook has said goodbye to St Margaret’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Glossop after 18 years of service.
Sheila Barker has left her role as a catering supervisor for pastures new.
After initially joining St Margaret’s to provide cover for a member of staff, Sheila said she fell into the job and never left.
She said: “I started by covering for someone who was off sick and then my boss asked me to stand in for the same person when she got married. I was then offered a position and started as a kitchen assistant before doing the cook’s job and then the title changed to catering supervisor as I wasn’t just doing the cooking, I’d also be doing paperwork and ordering.”
Sheila said lots had changed over the years but one particularly happy memory was when potatoes were delivered already peeled.
She said: “When I first started we would be peeling all of the vegetables including the potatoes. I must have peeled thousands of potatoes over the years. Now we have frozen vegetables, apart from potatoes but they are already peeled. I don’t miss peeling potatoes!
“Some things haven’t changed. We always give the children a roast dinner on a Wednesday and we’ve always had fish on a Friday, especially with it being a Catholic school. It was changed at one point, to fish on a Thursday but the children didn’t like it, they love fishy Fridays.
“One of the children’s favourite meals was the big breakfast, so bacon, sausage, hash browns. They loved that.”
Sheila remembers some classic school desserts well, including cornflake tart.
“Children now don’t really know what that is but if you say cornflake tart to adults, they will remember and they loved it. Sprinkle cake is always very popular as well. There has been a move towards cutting down on the sugar intake and we offer more fruit. We do a chocolate beetroot brownie and that’s about trying to get the children to have one of their five a day, without really knowing it,” she said.
St Margaret’s has been like a “family” to Sheila and she said she will miss the staff and pupils.
She said: “Every holiday, like Christmas and Easter, I would bring in treats for the children. I’ve seen generations of families go through the school. There is one little boy whose mum I remember coming to St Margaret’s. I will be sad to leave and I will miss the people and the children.”
Grainne Beaumont, Executive Headteacher at St Margaret’s, said: “This half-term, we said a very fond farewell to Sheila, who has worked for Derbyshire Catering in our school kitchen for many years.
“We will certainly miss her lovely cooking, her friendly smile and the warmth and kindness she has shown to our children and staff over the years.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to Sheila for everything she has given to St Margaret’s. She has been a much-loved part of our school community, and we wish her every happiness and all the very best for the future. Thank you, Sheila. You will be missed!”
