Cook Debbie Hansen with pupils Lauran Burton and John Chapman

Pupils returning to schools after last week's half-term break will be allowed a maximum of two servings of chips per week, council chiefs say.

And the county's 118 primary schools will serve more fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, says East Riding Council.

The move means an increase in the cost of providing school dinners from 44p for a two-course meal to at least 50p.

Dietician consulted

The catering unit at County Hall in Beverley has been working with a community dietician to improve the nutritional content of school meals.

The council says a greater emphasis is now being placed on non-fried potatoes, salads, vegetables, fresh fruit and low fat yoghurts.

Children will only be allowed chips twice a week, instead of four times a week previously and will only be able to choose a convenience-style meal, such as burgers or sausages, once a week.

Sue Galvin, the council's senior catering manager for school meals, said: "It's about achieving a balance. Rather than having chips every day, we are saying it's OK to have them in moderation.

"We hope the parents will support what we're doing."

Debbie Hansen, a cook at Flamborough Primary School, said: "The new menus are a wonderful idea. We already do lots of home cooking at this school, as it's only small."

'Home-cooked' meals

Dave Clark, head teacher of Bacon Garth Primary School in Cottingham, near Hull, said: "The school has been working very closely with the council's catering team to implement the new healthy menus.

"There is less reliance on convenience, processed and fried foods and much more of a focus on quality traditional home-cooked meals."

The county has sourced its fresh meat from a Yorkshire butcher, who will supply higher quality produce to all schools.

The council's catering unit has also bought a computer software package called Nutmeg, which calculates the nutritional content of individual meals or weekly menus to help it formulate new menus.

From September, healthy eating will form part of the Ofsted inspections as the government attempts to stem the increase of childhood obesity.