Queen's school dinner at Drapers' Academy, Harold Hill

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The Queen at Drapers' Academy
Image caption,
The school's canteen was transformed with tablecloths and flowers

The Queen had school dinner at a new academy in Romford, where chips and turkey twizzlers were not on the menu.

She was visiting Drapers' Academy in Harold Hill to officially open the new £25m state school.

Her Majesty was served from a menu which included ham hock terrine, canon of lamb and Dauphinoise potatoes.

Principal Matthew Slater, in a reference to Jamie Oliver's campaign for healthier school meals, joked they did not serve the turkey foodstuff.

The school canteen was transformed to include linen table cloths and flowers, with wine served for adults.

Image caption,
The Queen also watched pupils providing demonstrations of science experiments

It opened last month with most of the funding to build it coming from The Drapers' Company and the University of London's Queen Mary College.

Mr Slater said: "We don't serve chips. Our biggest seller is the carvery meal.

"We try and give them healthy options. If they eat well, they will concentrate better in class."

The Queen was also given a tour of the school and watched science experiments and pupils performing a scene from the musical Little Shop Of Horrors.

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