Nourish Nova Scotia presents:
What’s for Lunch?
Nova Scotia Recipes to Cook and Enjoy Together
Hungry for something fun? Get cooking with our cookbook, a joyful collection of most-loved recipes from school food programs.
What’s For Lunch? is a special family cookbook made by Nourish Nova Scotia. It’s filled with favourite recipes, fun stories, and colourful artwork, all inspired by school food programs across the province. All proceeds from the sale of this book go directly to supporting our food literacy programs in schools.
English and French (digital and print) – Available Now!
Please allow 2-4 weeks after the publishing date for delivery of print books.
When the made-from-scratch Nova Scotia School Lunch Program menu launched, we saw an amazing opportunity to keep that momentum going. And when we heard that families wanted to cook school meals at home, we thought: Let’s turn those delicious favorites into a cookbook!
Whether you’re a new cook, a young chef, or a family learning together in the kitchen, What’s for Lunch? invites you to bake up a Handmade Pizza, create a Picnic Plate, make a big batch of Breakfast Sandwiches, or stir up some Butter Chicken! Each easy-to-follow recipe comes with tasty ideas for toppings, sides, and simple swaps to make it just right for you and your family.
Within its pages, you will meet some of the inspiring folks behind Nova Scotia’s school lunches, explore where local food ingredients come from, and discover bite-sized fun facts to spark curiosity. Colourful illustrations by students at Oxford School in Halifax and beloved local illustrator Emma FitzGerald bring it all to life!
Support this Fundraiser
Help us get the word out about What’s for Lunch? or sponsor a copy for someone else. We want to get the cookbook into as many hands as possible and raise funds for school food programs in Nova Scotia – here’s how you can support:
- Spread the Word: Distribute our printable flyers or share on social media using our templates.
- Make A Cookbook Donation: Help us in making What’s for Lunch?” available to all by sponsoring a cookbook.
- Sign up for our Newsletter: Stay up to date on cookbook promotions and events.
Learn more about how you can support here.
"In my opinion food, and even more so, cooking, is one of life’s greatest pleasures. I am so proud to see this amazing initiative in our province and can’t wait to see more young people cooking at home! Let’s get Nova Scotia cookin’!"
– Andy Hay of Andy’s East Coast Kitchen
When the Province of Nova Scotia announced the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program, we were thrilled to see a long-held vision become reality. For more than a decade, Nourish Nova Scotia has worked alongside regional, provincial, and national partners to advocate for robust school food programs, demonstrate their far-reaching benefits, and advance a future where every student has access to nourishing food at school.
While Nourish Nova Scotia is not involved in the operation or delivery of school meals, we play an important role in supporting school food programs by creating opportunities for students and educators to engage in hands-on learning around food. That’s why we developed the What’s for Lunch? Cookbook and our Recipes for Learning series: to help make food a meaningful part of learning and connection at school.
But we still receive lots of questions about lunch!
How the School Lunch Program (Actually) works in Nova Scotia
The Nova Scotia School Lunch Program is a provincial lunch program that offers public school students across Nova Scotia nutritious lunch every school day. With so many lunches to prepare each day – and with unique facilities in every school – the journey of a school lunch (from kitchen to cafeteria or classroom) looks a little different in each school and region. Depending on the facilities available, schools use one of three delivery models: lunches may be prepared by school staff in the school kitchen, prepared by a company in the school kitchen, or prepared off‑site by a company and delivered to the school. In every case, the menu and recipes remain the same, from Yarmouth Elementary to Cape Breton Highlands Education Centre.
Read more here: Frequently Asked Questions | nslunch
School Food vs. School Lunch
School food programs include many things, including breakfast and snacks, cooking clubs, school gardens, and the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or snacks – schools, regions, and the government work with partners to offer students a wide range of nutritious foods throughout the school day. The NS School Lunch Program is one component of school food programs in Nova Scotia’s public schools.
The Nova Scotia School Lunch Program follows a provincial menu, but each school’s facilities and operations look a little different. Schools use one of three delivery models: lunches may be prepared by school staff in the school kitchen, prepared by a company in the school kitchen, or prepared off‑site by a company and delivered to the school.
What People Have to Say About Lunch!
Since the launch of the Nova Scotia School Lunch Program, we’ve been gathering stories from students, school staff, and everyone who helps make the program possible—from local producers and delivery drivers to food service workers. Here’s what some of them have to say!
“I wanted to highlight a great example of collaboration and integration between our food service staff and students at Islands. Lawna Sullivan and Cheryl Boushey have been working closely with Grade 5 students on a project that connects classroom learning with the Provincial Lunch Program. The students gathered data on meal preferences and created charts and graphs to showcase their findings. This initiative not only helps students develop important skills like data collection and analysis, but it also strengthens the connection between food services and the school community. It’s fantastic to see our food service staff engaging with students in such a meaningful way, helping them understand the role of nutrition and meal planning in their daily lives.”
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School Food Program Lead
“I’m a grade 5 teacher at a rural school, and the lunch program is going really well here! Students are trying new things and are excited when their favourite meals come around. The salad bar is a huge hit as well. I love that there is no longer a scramble to make sure everyone has a lunch. Every student is welcome to eat, no questions asked. It may seem like a small thing but it really means so much.”
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Teacher
“Beyond access to food, this program has also encouraged students to try new foods and expand their palates. Kids who were once considered picky eaters are finishing their meals and even asking for extra vegetables! I’ve seen students excitedly encouraging their friends to try something new, which is amazing to witness.”
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School Food Program Lead
“Love love love it! It’s made my life so much easier and my kids have loved it! I can not express for very moms how helpful this is! It’s truly worth every penny, there’s been like 2 things my oldest hasn’t liked, so far both my kids (6 and 9) have liked it!”
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Parent
“Overall, this year has been about building the systems, partnerships, and production capacity needed to support large-scale school lunch delivery in HRM, while keeping as much of the program as possible rooted in the local community. This work continues as we learn more and more about each individual school we work with, tailoring to their needs so that this program has as much success as possible.”