YOUNG diners are tucking into the school dinners they have always wanted with the start of the new academic year.

A new range of lunch menus have been introduced in west Cheshire this year containing dishes that have been voted for by pupils.

This month also sees the start of Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) for Reception, Year One and Year Two pupils, who will receive a free hot two-course school meal every day.

The new menus are Cheshire Favourites, Best of British, Celebrating World Food and Experience the Taste.

Highlights include braised beef and cheese and herb scones, vinegar infused fish goujons, pulled pork with bbq sauce and kheema loaf in a warm pitta pocket with coleslaw.

Cheshire West and Chester Catering Services is the main provider of school meals in the borough, preparing 17,000 school meals every day.

Meals are provided to 127 primary and special schools and 10 secondary schools.

Half the children in west Cheshire currently have a school meal.

With the introduction of UIFSM, the service is expecting to serve another 5,000 meals every day, taking the total meals freshly prepared each day and served to around 23,000 pupils.

Guardian reporter Josh Pennington is set to sample and review the new menus in the coming weeks.