– independent catering for independent schools
Our purpose:
To spark curiosity and a greater awareness of food in every child.
Welcome to Citrea
the secret ingredient that makes your school's catering zing!
Just as lemon is a fantastic way to bring out the flavour of food, we want to bring a fresh dimension to your school’s catering experience. One that captures the imagination of every child by getting them to engage and learn about food. We want children to be curious, try new things, think about what they eat, where it comes from, and how it’s grown.
The needs, values and character of each school are different, as are each child’s tastes and dietary requirements. We listen carefully to understand these needs to craft a tailor-made food and hospitality service you can be confident meets the requirements of pupils, parents, staff and visitors to your school.
Cultivating curiosity, the spark that ignites learning – it’s what makes our approach so different.
Our food.
You will find our food deliciously healthy, nutritious and always freshly cooked from scratch. We choose food that’s in season and therefore at its absolute best. We also, wherever possible, endeavour to source local and organic produce.
Our creative and resourceful chefs use their experience and flair to craft innovative bespoke menus that meet your every need. A lot of pride goes into all our menus and a great deal of care and thought into hitting the right note on every occasion.
Nourishing young minds.
We have a significant part to play in helping children understand how food choices affect us physically and mentally as well as the impact these choices have on the planet. We have a privileged opportunity to enrich their food learning in a hands-on and engaging way that goes so much further than putting a carrot and orange muffin on a menu. We use this opportunity imaginatively and wisely.
A tailor-made catering service to suit your school’s exact needs.
Unusually for a catering company, we’re independently owned and managed. This gives us the freedom to be super-flexible and customise our service to satisfy your school’s individual needs and philosophy on food. It also means we can move at speed and adapt to any day-to-day challenges or unforeseen circumstances as they arise. Menus are bespoke and created to suit the different ages and stages of pupils' development as well as support their nutritional, educational and sporting needs as they grow. If any child requires a special diet, our nutritionist has a one-to-one meeting with their parents to create an appropriate menu for them.
Food as a way to attract parents.
Ultimately, it's the parents who choose the school, so how can Citrea play a part in the decision that they make? We will ensure that our food services blend seamlessly with the culture of your school. We know and understand that parents care about sustainability, food learning, nutrition and ensuring their children have a healthy, happy relationship with food. Our Citrea services are built on delivering this – every single day.
A true partner.
We work closely to meet your headteacher, bursar, and governors' individual expectations to deliver a service in tune with the rhythm of your school. This gives confidence to parents, the children and your whole school community. We share your aims and go above and beyond to build a strong working relationship. We want you to rely on us and think of us as if we were an integral part of your school team.
Our chefs are self-leaders who take pride, initiative and ownership in everything they do. Planning ahead, thinking on their feet, being proactive, taking decisions and actions that always support your school. Should anything fail to show up on the delivery truck, they problem-solve and come to you with a solution. Supporting the on-site team, you'll find our central personnel and executive chef providing regular, hands-on operational assistance.
We recognise that continuous support is really important for every school with which we work. In addition to any formal meetings, someone from our central team visits each month to see how things are going, check standards, discuss ideas and find out what else we could be doing to support you.
We see food playing a bigger part in the school curriculum and consider it our responsibility to support you as a school in this area of education.
Valuing your school’s community.
We value and respect being a part of your school’s community and want to give something back. So, wherever possible, we engage with local suppliers including butchers, bakers and greengrocers.
Buying products sourced and produced on your doorstep makes a massive difference, not only to the well-being of children but to their families, schools and the entire community. It makes us and the school part of something greater.
Nurturing a sustainability mindset.
We act ethically and do the right thing by suppliers, the school community and the planet. We all have a moral obligation to teach children where food comes from and how it is grown, so it's important we lead by example.
We care deeply about sustainability, provenance, food miles and traceability of our ingredients. We always look to source and support local businesses within your school's community wherever practical, as well as partnering with trusted regional growers that we know share our values.
