That’s a whopping 12,000 turkey dinners, 9000 steak pies and more than 1000 vegetable tarts.

Councillor Robert Brown, the chair of the council’s Community and Enterprise Resources, was asked along to have Christmas lunch with pupils at St Mark’s Primary School in Rutherglen.

He said: “I always enjoy this time of year, so I was really looking forward to my Christmas lunch. The quality of food was really excellent. But what was even more enjoyable was spending time with the pupils. Not only did they also enjoy the food, but it was clear to see and hear just how much fun lunchtime is for them.”

Despite the adverse weather, no gas, frozen pipes and other challenges, the council’s catering teams continue to rise to the challenge and deliver an incredible service to schools across South Lanarkshire.

Anne Goldie, the council’s Facility Services Manager, said: “Our pupils and service users have already been tweeting how much they enjoyed their Christmas lunches and how our catering teams have worked tremendously hard to make the day fun for all by dressing up and decorating the dining rooms for their special lunch.”

But the Christmas lunch is just the icing on the cake as the council’s kitchen staff prepare wide range of nutritious Primary School lunches every day throughout the school year meeting the legislative requirements of the Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020.