THE last time I sat down at a school dinner table - around the time some bloke called George Bush was at war in the Middle East (hmmm, sounds familiar) - I distinctly remember tucking into a greasy bacon burger and a double portion of chips.

This was followed up with the stodgiest of treacle puddings, swimming in disconcertingly congealing custard.

It was enough to give Jamie Oliver a coronary - in more ways than one.

But since the Oliver-led school meals revolution, the sugary snacks and deep-fried fare have been binned, and healthier lunches introduced in an assault on obesity.

Today, the government announced the latest shake-up for schools, setting tighter nutritional guidelines for meals and announcing the intention to treat pupils as if they were paying customers in a restaurant.

For while the food has undoubtedly been getting healthier, figures suggest the take-up of school lunches has actually fallen - with prices rising up to 15 per cent in the last year.

At Branksome Heath Middle School in Poole, hot school meals have hit the dining hall for the first time this week.

With their individual cutlery and crockery - no "prison-style" trays here - and a choice of both meat and vegetarian courses, the new lunches have already gone down a storm.

"The children were a bit nervous at first," said head of year four Dan Lambert.

"But they were served up roast beef and roast potatoes and were going back up for seconds."

Head teacher Stuart Fox said children with packed lunches were already asking when they could have the hot food.

"In terms of value, the quality of the meals is fantastic," he said.

So what have the critics - the children themselves - made of the food?

"It's delicious," said 11-year-old Jade Stanley, tucking into her second helping of chicken Italiano, pasta and broccoli.

"I like to try the different range of foods."

Ten-year-old Zac Stanley agreed: "The food is really nice and I like the healthy stuff."

If the glowing reviews at Branksome Heath are anything to go by, the uptake of school meals could soon be on the rise.

More than £3.5 million has just been committed to bringing hot and healthy lunches to schools in Dorset via hub kitchens.

However, the stringent nutritional requirements that have already been introduced have provided a challenge for the menu-makers and chefs.

Anita Bartlett, a cook who prepares school meals for the Borough of Poole, said choices like Angel Delight had been ditched due to their high sugar content.

"There are so many different guidelines now," she said.

"We can't use any added salt, and crisps and biscuits aren't allowed.

"Everything is now freshly prepared and the children seem to like it."

As part of the further tightening of nutritional standards, the government has published specific figures for the amounts of salt, sugar and fat - as well as vitamins and minerals - in primary school lunches.

The rules will be extended to the secondary sector next year.

School Food Trust chairman Prue Leith said: "This week we begin the final steps in radically changing school food.

"Over-fatty, salty or sugary foods are gone, replaced by nutritious and delicious meals."

Schools secretary Ed Balls wants to introduce a "proper lunch culture", with pupils involved in creating menus and even allowing them to pre-book a table online.

He said: "The bottom line is six out of 10 secondary pupils are still not eating school dinners.

"Schools, parents, children and the government need to tackle obesity together and we make no apologies for introducing tough nutrient standards."