食堂太难吃 校长请来米其林大厨

 Forget school dinners of lumpy mashed² potato, grey mince³ and mushy carrots. The pupils of Loreto High School certainly have. These days, thanks to a MasterChef in the school kitchen, they enjoy fresh-caught mackerel with beetroot and kale salad, or Thai-style fishcakes with pak choi. And although meals are five-star quality, they cost a mere⁴ ?2.35. That includes pudding, which instead of soggy apple crumble⁵, is more likely to be lemon and rosemary chocolate truffle. The school called in MasterChef semi-finalist Adam Leavy and Sukhdev Singh, both formerly⁶ of acclaimed⁷ Manchester restaurant Abode⁸, after students complained about boring dinners.

忘掉食堂里一块块捣碎的土地泥，还有那灰白的肉馅和糊状的胡萝卜吧！至少洛雷托高中的孩子们是肯定已经把这些难吃的事物从脑海里删除了。最近多亏了食堂里的超级大厨，孩子们得以大饱口福：甜菜根炖鲜刀鱼、羽衣甘蓝沙拉或是泰式鱼饼配小白菜。虽然这些都是五星级的菜品，但其售价仅为2.35英镑。而布丁也可能从往日黏糊糊的苹果陷改为柠檬迷迭香松露巧克力陷。在学生对食堂无聊的饭菜大吐苦水后校方请来了这两位超级大厨亚当·利维和苏克德夫·辛格。他们曾掌勺于声名远扬的曼彻斯特饭店营业所，还进入过美版厨艺大师比赛的半决赛。

They had to go through an audition⁹ against other top quality chefs - each cooking up a two course meal from the ingredients given to them - much like on Masterchef.  And the pair impressed so much that Headmaster Peter Tite instantly hired them, and now the children are tucking into the likes of smoked mackerel, kale and ciabatta - for just ?2.35 a day. 'The kids don't trust some of the things we put on the plates, but most of the time they end up loving it,' said Mr Leavy, who is now cooking up to 500 school meals a day.

他们必须在面试中打败另外两名大厨—每人都用所给食材烹饪了两道美味菜品，就像美版厨艺大师比赛那样。两人清楚地记得，尝过菜品后校长就立刻决定雇佣他们，今天孩子们也得以每天仅花2.35英镑就能大口吃上熏鲭鱼、羽衣甘蓝沙拉和脆皮意大利面包。“孩子们不相信自己会真的吃到这些美味，但大多时候他们还是很爱这些事物，”利维说道。现在利维每天要为孩子们烹饪500道菜品。

A typical school lunch is now something most of us would be very happy to find on our plates while out at a fancy restaurant. An example of what the children might find on their plates on an average day is smoked mackerel, which is caught on the day, with beetroot and kale salad, and a lemon and rosemary chocolate truffle for dessert. 除了在顶级餐厅外，这样一顿校园午餐恐怕是我们大多数人都非常乐于享用到的吧。看看每天孩子们能在自己的餐盘里能找到什么，由当天现抓的食材做的熏鲭鱼配甜菜根、羽衣甘蓝沙拉，还有柠檬迷迭香陷的松露巧克力布丁。

Or if that doesn't pique¹⁰ their interest, the chefs are happy to whip up a chocolate mousse with caramelised biscuits and cream as a treat. The only problem now is that parents are having to contend with the chefs' high standards when cooking for their children at home. One mother said: 'My son used to complain that the food was boring. Now he comes home talking saying he will only he eat his salad with extra virgin¹¹ olive oil. Gone are the days of sausage and mash¹. 'These are the best school meals in Britain. The only problem is my son comes home and now he turns his nose up at beans on toast.'

如果这些美味都不能挑起孩子们的兴趣，两位主厨将特别烹制一道巧克力奶油冻，另外配上焦糖饼干和奶油款待他们。现在唯一的问题是家长在家做饭时不得不要达到两位大厨的水准。一位母亲说：“过去儿子总是抱怨食堂的饭菜有多难吃。现在回到家他说他只吃由顶级纯橄榄油拌的沙拉，告别吃香肠和麦芽浆的日子了。”“这些是全英国最棒的校园菜品。但问题是现在儿子回家后开始对家里面包上的豆子嗤之以鼻，”这位母亲补充道。

Kale salad (or as they call it, 'that grass stuff') and ciabatta ('posh bread'), are the latest culinary crazes at Loreto High. Mr Singh said: 'It's a bit hit and miss. But most of the dishes they love. 'Every week we do small little testers to see their reaction. So last week we let them try some kale, and now they can't get enough of it.' The chefs' decision to leave their restaurant jobs and move into cooking at school is largely down to the hours - and the opportunity to get their lives back. This is especially important for Mr Leavy, whose first child is due in November. Mr Tite says he now has plans to ditch the plastic chairs and trays and transform the canteen into a restaurant - complete with 'special of the day' hoardings at the entrance. He added that the canteen's takings have soared since Mr Leavy and Mr Singh got into the kitchen, and staff are now vying¹² for seats at the dining room tables alongside their pupils. Turnover¹³ has increased by 21 per cent, while 72 per cent of pupils are now having school lunches - up from 60 per cent last year. ' It's just given the whole school a lift, and it's been fantastic for our pupils from deprived backgrounds,' Mr Tite said.

羽衣甘蓝沙拉（或“草一样的东西”）和脆皮意大利面包（或“时髦的面包”）都是洛雷德高中推出的最新疯狂菜品。辛格先生说：“有时也会出点小错，但多数时候孩子们还是很喜欢这些菜品的。每周我们都会做一些试吃样品，看看孩子们的反应。就在上周我们让孩子们尝了一些羽衣甘蓝，现在他们已经离不开它了。”这两位主厨决定离开饭店到食堂工作主要是因为工作时间不长，能够顾得上私人生活。这对利维很重要，因为11月他的第一个孩子就要降生了。泰特先生说他现在计划换掉塑料椅和塑料托盘，把食堂变成餐厅，并在食堂入口处拉上写有“今日特色菜”的横幅。 他还补充道自打利维和辛格掌勺开始，食堂的收入就一路飙升。现在就连食堂工作人员也和孩子们抢着在餐厅占个座。营业额已经涨了21%，并且现在在食堂吃午饭的孩子从去年的60%涨到了72%。“这不仅提升了学校的档次，对那些来自贫困家庭的孩子而言也是不可思议的事，”泰特说道。

1 mash   

n.麦芽浆，糊状物，土豆泥；v.把…捣成糊状，挑逗，调情

参考例句：

• He beat the potato into a mash before eating it.他把马铃薯捣烂后再吃。
• Whiskey,originating in Scotland,is distilled from a mash of grains.威士忌源于苏格兰，是从一种大麦芽提纯出来的。

2 mashed   

a.捣烂的

参考例句：

• two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
• Just one scoop of mashed potato for me, please. 请给我盛一勺土豆泥。

3 mince   

n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说

参考例句：

• Would you like me to mince the meat for you?你要我替你把肉切碎吗？
• Don't mince matters,but speak plainly.不要含糊其词，有话就直说吧。

4 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

5 crumble   

vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁

参考例句：

• Opposition more or less crumbled away.反对势力差不多都瓦解了。
• Even if the seas go dry and rocks crumble,my will will remain firm.纵然海枯石烂，意志永不动摇。

6 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

7 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

8 abode   

n.住处，住所

参考例句：

• It was ten months before my father discovered his abode.父亲花了十个月的功夫，才好不容易打听到他的住处。
• Welcome to our humble abode!欢迎光临寒舍！

9 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

10 pique   

v.伤害…的自尊心，使生气 n.不满，生气

参考例句：

• She went off in a fit of pique.她一赌气就走了。
• Tom finished the sentence with an air of pique.汤姆有些生气地说完这句话。

11 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

12 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

13 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。