By Justin Parkinson BBC News education reporter

School dinners have become a major concern for nutritionists

Children, as most parents know, are very fond of "unhealthy" foods.

Salad or sausages, iceberg lettuce or iced buns, figs or fries? They are easy choices for all but the most health conscious.

But with rising rates of childhood obesity, the government is looking for ways to encourage healthier eating.

It is proposing tougher guidelines on processed foods used in school meals and is consulting parents on what they want to see on menus.

However, efforts are already under way in canteens around the country.

Many are using only fresh ingredients and limiting fat, salt and sugar in food.

'Feeding body and mind'

At one - Perry Beeches, a comprehensive in Birmingham - children are rationed to eating chips just three times a week - low fat ones at that.

But school dinners here are more popular than ever, with 95% of pupils eating them.

Head teacher Ingrid Gallagher insists on food being prepared and cooked fresh on the premises.

If it was my daughter's school, I would want it to have the same standards as these Ingrid Gallagher, head teacher

She told BBC News: "I can teach them here for five years, but they can then go off into the world and die of a heart attack caused by obesity at the age of 30.

"We've got to feed the body, as well as the mind. There's not enough about the whole person.

"If it was my daughter's school, I would want it to have the same standards as these."

Ms Gallagher is not sure about the government's plans to consult parents on dietary guidelines to be set.

Workshops

She said: "I think I would rather have parenting workshops to promote better understanding.

"Our parents are good and provide healthy meals at home. But in some schools they don't have that."

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has criticised school dinners for being cheap and "made of rubbish".

He met Education Secretary Ruth Kelly last week to discuss what is on offer to pupils.

When Jamie Oliver first took over the canteen, its popularity fell

Last year, Mr Oliver was brought into Kidbrooke secondary school in Greenwich, south-east London, to revamp menus, with the changes being shown in a programme on Channel Four.

He replaced burgers, chicken nuggets, sausage rolls, beans and chips with delicacies like fish pie, lemon roasted herb chicken and chilli beef fajitas.

The number of children using the canteen fell initially, but is beginning to rise again.

Head teacher Trisha Jaffe said: "The fact that Jamie is a gourmet chef doesn't interest the pupils.

"They are interested in what they like. You have to get them used to a different kind of eating.

"Some of the kids say they never eat home-cooked meals. They eat a burger or another takeaway."

The meals served often contain eight types of fresh vegetables.

Ms Jaffe said: "What Jamie is giving them is much, much healthier. I've got enormous respect for what he's done."

Short of every school using the services of a famous chef, what can be done?

Parents at Brookfield Primary School in Camden, north London, have taken matters into their own hands.

They opted out of the borough's school catering contract and now oversee the preparation of meals themselves.

Daphne Tagg, vice-chair of governors, said: "Parents had been unhappy about the quality of the meals for as long as I can remember."

She added: "A lot of the time the menus were changing but the quality of food was not improving."

Another parent, nutritionist Roxanne Harbour, said: "One of the best things has been that the food is so nice and kids are eating it.

"There was a fear that they might go back to chips with everything.