From cornflake tarts to pink custard and tapioca pudding, school kids in the ‘80s had a host of treats waiting for them on the lunchtime menu. Now that new guidance bans deep-fried dinners and enforces fresh fruit, we are looking back at what ‘80s kids were munching on during their time in the classroom.
While they might not have hit any protein goals or a student’s recommended 5-a-day, these lunch items still hold a special place in the hearts of every ‘80s child. Read on to see how many of these nostalgic staples you sampled when the lunch bell rang…
© Getty ImagesThey might be uniformly perfect but these small treats were a highly processed choice
Pre-packaged cupcakes
Their neat chocolate top and perfect spiral of white icing were like a siren’s song to kids in the ‘80s looking for a sugary pick-me-up in the middle of the day.
Sadly, these small, goo-filled treats have been expelled from the schoolhouse as healthy eating initiatives cracked down on the worst offenders.
Angel Delight
This powdery dessert was an incredibly convenient shortcut to a light, frothy mousse in chocolate, strawberry, banana or butterscotch. HELLO!'s print Editor Jessica Callan has a particular fondness for the toffee flavour: “I’ve tried to get my kids to try it, but they’re appalled at the prospect. LOVED it back in the day”.
While today’s kids might not be convinced, this ‘80s staple was a firm favourite as an after-dinner treat throughout the decade, and is surely overdue a return as a store cupboard staple.
© ullstein bild via Getty ImagesTeachers in the ‘80s often had the bad luck of a classroom filled with kids on a sugar high
High-sugar fruit drinks
From fake fruit flavouring to buckets of sugar, there wasn’t a lot to recommend these foil packets of additives and adrenaline. HELLO!’s Deputy Features Editor Sophie Hamilton is keen for a comeback: “I loved Five Alive juice cartons - every day in my 80s lunch box! Bring it back.”
While a plain old bottle of water or a natural fruit drink might be a boring alternative today, teachers are surely grateful they don’t have to return from lunch to 30 students on a sugar rush.
© Getty ImagesDelicious but hardly nutritious – this ‘80s favourite has been swapped for healthier foods
Turkey Twizzlers
Turkey Twizzlers had a good run on the school dinner plate, becoming a pivotal part of every student’s weekly menu until an overhaul of UK school menus in 2005.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Feed Me Better campaign famously targeted Turkey Twizzlers as the lunchtime treat contained only 34% turkey, together with plenty of fat, salt and additives. Despite their lack of nutrition, they tasted pretty good!
© The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesThis ice cream topping truly was magical
Ice Magic
Kids today love a novelty addition to their everyday dinner and children in the ‘80s were no different. Ice Magic was the perfect complement to a classic ice cream dessert, instantly hardening into a crunchy shell.
Growing up, HELLO!’s Editor Jessica found a way to add an extra element of fun to this exciting topping. “I used to tell my brother it would freeze and harden in his throat,” she joked.
© The Washington Post via Getty Imageshere’s not enough fruit content for even ½ of your 5-a-day
Fruit Roll-Ups
Fruit roll-ups brought plenty of fun but not as many nutrients to children’s daily dose of healthy food items. Like many other snacks, nutrition has moved to the fore as students’ health becomes more of a focus.
Whether you moulded it into a ball and bit off chunks or dangled it from your mouth like a chameleon’s tongue, they were a favourite for ‘80s kids throughout the decade.
Pink custard
It doesn’t get much more classic than a jug of warm school custard dribbled over a chunk of sponge cake, and it’s a food that has lasted the test of time – at least, outside of the classroom.
But pink custard, the artificially dyed cousin of the regular yellow stuff, has been lost to the past as the faux strawberry flavouring was swapped for a healthy and natural alternative.
© Getty ImagesForget hours of boiling and crushing potatoes, mash came in a handy ‘80s packet
Reconstituted mash
Schools have moved away from highly processed foods in favour of fresh, healthier alternatives. In the case of reconstituted mash, perhaps it’s for the best.
HELLO!’s US Deputy Editor Hannah Hargrave doesn’t have any fond memories of this powdered substitute: “Reconstituted mash (i.e. Smash) was vile. It wasn't so much the taste but the texture that was awful.”
© Getty ImagesIt’s not too surprising this deep-fried fish dish has disappeared
Battered roe
Sadly, deep-fried fish dishes have been targeted in the government’s overhaul of school dinner menus, aiming to tackle childhood obesity.
Eighties kids will remember the days of battered roe as a tantalising taste of the chippie, a welcome taste of freedom from homework and surprise tests.
© Getty ImagesIt really is the simplest of sweet things that can get the memories flowing back
Cornflake tart
There were just four ingredients that made this dish a success: a layer of shortcrust pastry, strawberry or raspberry jam, cornflakes and a good helping of golden syrup.
There’s not much to recommend this one in the way of nutrition, but ‘80s kids will be pleased to realise just how easy it is to recreate at home.
© AFP via Getty ImagesOver-processed and long-lasting, mushy peas have been traded for a boiled alternative
Mushy peas
Peas in cans would be unrecognisable to most kids today, unless they come piled on a plate of fish and chips at the weekend.
But for ‘80s kids, these were a weekly staple of the canteen menu, and no doubt this green mush brings back a lot of happy memories.
