Jamie Oliver has been highly critical of school dinners

Accepting a Bafta award on Sunday, Mr Oliver said successive education secretaries had used "the same bloody excuse" of being new to the job.

Improving school dinners was "not rocket science", he added.

A government spokesman said there was "a clear timetable for reform" and "no question" of not following it.

'A bit upset'

At the Baftas, Mr Oliver won the Richard Dimbleby Award for Outstanding Presenter of a Factual Programme and his Channel 4 show Jamie's School Dinners was named Best Factual Series.

During the ceremony he said: "Since we started the show two years ago I'm on to my third education secretary.

"What on earth must the country's teachers think, let alone me?

"I'm not surprised Ruth (Kelly) has gone but I'm a bit upset because I had just set up my latest meeting with her.

"The day after I met Charles Clarke, he got moved on. Then I got to know Ruth and she's got moved on. There's always the same bloody excuse which is 'I've just started'.

"Now we're on our third education secretary (Alan Johnson) and if he's got anything about him he will go north, south, east and west getting to the grass roots."

Reform

The government has promised �280m to improve school dinners in England, including tougher nutritional guidelines.

The Department for Education and Skills said the timetable for reform would continue under Mr Johnson, who took over as education secretary last week.

A spokesman added: "We are already delivering on our promise to transform school meals and undo decades of neglect.

"This year we have already paid some �60m to schools and local education authorities to help them deliver healthier meals, with millions more to follow over the next two years.