Jeanette Orrey: Food for Life
The dinner lady who inspired Jamie Oliver, headlines third Food for Thought talk series.
- Date
- 23rd April 2026
- Time
- 7:00pm - 8:00pm
About this event
The dinner lady who inspired Jamie Oliver, headlines third Food for Thought talk series.
What children eat in school has always reflected wider questions about health, class, farming and the way we feed the nation.
Building on the Food Museum’s School Dinners exhibition, this talk with Jeanette Orrey MBE explores how school meals can become a powerful catalyst for change – improving children’s nutrition while supporting healthier farming and localised procurement, all while helping young people understand the full journey of food from soil to plate.
Drawing on her pioneering work with the Food for Life programme, Orrey considers how schools can shape healthier habits and influence the future of our food system.
About Jeanette Orrey
Jeanette Orrey MBE is a pioneering school food reformer and co-founder of Food for Life. Formerly a school dinner lady, she transformed the menus at St Peter’s Primary in Nottinghamshire, proving that fresh, local, cooked-from-scratch school meals are achievable and affordable. Her campaigning has reshaped national policy on children’s food, and her book The Dinner Lady remains a touchstone for healthier school-meal advocacy across the UK.
Held at the Food Museum, talks will run from 7pm to 8pm with doors opening at 6.30pm. Tickets are priced at £12 per talk.
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About the Venue
The Food Museum, located in Stowmarket, aims to connect people with where their food comes from. We explore themes connected by food – social, historical, technological, industrial, environmental – and give visitors hands-on experiences which bring collections alive, teach skills and create memories.
The museum is set across 75 acres of glorious Suffolk countryside, with 17 fascinating historic buildings to explore and a collection of over 40,000 objects used to tell broad and inclusive stories. See working demonstrations of milling inside mid-18th century Alton Water, visit our demonstration kitchen and sample the day’s offerings, or join us on a tour of the Dairy Cottages as part of your visit.
With an annual programme of events, exhibitions and activities, there’s plenty for visitors of all ages to enjoy. Take advantage of the museum’s annual pass and visit the museum throughout the year, or upgrade to a membership to join in with weekly Toddler Time sessions and access discounts and entry to events.
Dog Friendly
Dogs on leads are welcome at the museum and in all buildings apart from Abbot’s Hall, Crowe St Cottages, Bone Building and Alton Watermill, with the exception of assistance dogs which are welcome throughout.
