MANY people say their school dinners were unappetising at best - mash you could mortar walls with, lumps of gristly meat and vegetables that were boiled to mush - but that's all changing. Thanks to the inspiring work of child health campaigners and TV chefs such as Jamie Oliver, the school food situation is looking up dramatically, with locally sourced ingredients, freshly prepared meals and an emphasis on nutritional balance. The importance of healthy school meals was discussed atop Snowdon during a clear and sunny afternoon on July 1, when visitors were invited to take in the spectacular views while sampling a free school dinner. The LACA (Lead Association for Catering in Education) event, held at the summit's Hafod Eryri visitor centre and restaurant, launched the build up to this year’s National School Meals Week, which runs from November 2 - 6 and aims to showcase the benefits of fresh school-cooked meals.  Dilwyn Morgan, leader of Gwynedd Council, confirmed the lamb meatball and pasta portions were delicious after trying them for himself. He said: "We in Gwynedd are very keen to support this, obviously supporting local produce is very important but healthy eating, healthy living, socialising and having some sort of form for meal times is so important." Before long, the restaurant was abuzz with the chatter of weary mountain climbers who were pleasantly surprised to find a free menu of mouthwatering rich beef casserole, chicken balti, lamb meatballs with pasta, sticky toffee pudding and other dishes. The sample portions seemed to go down very well with everyone who tried them, with many coming back for seconds or to try another dish. Among the officials attending were representatives of Hywel Williams MP and Alun Ffred Jones AM, senior Gwynedd Council members, members of LACA and Gwynedd catering teams. Bethan Jones, deputy head of Ysgol Gynradd Dolbadarn, attended with six pupils from the school council and said she estimated about fifty percent of the children at her school eat school dinners. Year five pupil Jack Booth said: "I enjoyed the trip up Snowdon, and I had the meatballs, the rich beef casserole, the oat fruit crumble and the sticky toffee pudding - It was very tasty indeed." Statistics show that 30% of a child's daily nutrient requirement is in a school meal, which also have strict controls on levels of sugar, salt, fats etc - but only 1% of lunch boxes taken into schools meet the same standards. Carrieanne Bishop, national chair of LACA, said: "We're trying to showcase how a great school food is. "People have some version of what school meals were like when they were at school so I would say come along - once they realise how good it is, they'll be more confident letting their children have the food." All in all the launch event was a great success, both for Gwynedd catering teams - who received universal praise for their hard work - and LACA, who made a lot of people think twice about what is actually served in the school canteen today. Organisers thanked the team at Snowdon Mountain Railway for their help in arranging transport up and down the mountain. For more information about school dinners week and LACA, visit: http://laca.co.uk/