By Mrs Tombs (Catering Manager)

Over the summer, Greens was a hive of activity as contractors set about completely transforming our servery counters in the dining room. 

The transformation has left us with a bright, modern and inviting space for our students to enjoy their lunch break. Being called Greens, it felt fitting for the counters to have a pop of green, which is then beautifully contrasted by the black powdered gantry and copper heat lamps. The students' comments over lunchtime have been wonderful, with some comparing the new look to the standard of a five-star hotel. View photos here. 

Our new menus for this term are going down a treat. A new standout favourite is our homemade Italian Beef Meatballs. Hand-rolling 1,200 meatballs was no mean feat, but the feedback from the students made all the effort worth it. Have a look at the recipe and have a go at creating your own.

Italian Meatballs recipe

Makes 14 meatballs

Meatballs
60ml full-fat milk
2–3 slices of bread
500g lean minced beef
2 large eggs
50g Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely diced

Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
450g passata
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
300–350ml water

For the Meatballs

• In a small bowl, soak the bread in the milk for about 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid and crumble into small pieces.
• In a medium bowl, combine the bread with the beef, eggs, Parmesan, onion, garlic and dried herbs. Mix gently until well combined. Using clean hands, shape the mixture into small balls about the size of a golf ball.
• In a medium frying pan over a medium heat, add the olive oil and brown the meatballs on all sides.

For the Sauce

• While the meatballs are browning, heat the olive oil in a large, deep (ideally heavy-bottomed) pan. Add the passata, dried herbs, garlic and water, and stir until well combined.
• Add the browned meatballs, bring to the boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, increase the heat to medium, leave the pan half-covered and cook for a further 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are cooked through. Serve immediately with spaghetti and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Don’t forget some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.