Boy kept off school because dinner ladies refuse to serve him Yorkshire puddings with Marmite

A Preston youngster has been kept off school because dinner ladies refuse to serve him Yorkshire puddings with Marmite at lunchtime. Aryn Buchanan has been described as a “very, very fussy eater” by his parents, who are at their “wits end” in trying to deal with the problem, which has now led to him missing classes. He has already missed a week off school since the new term started in September.

The 10-year-old, a pupil at St Mary and St Benedict’s Catholic Primary in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, exists on a very limited diet consisting mostly of Marmite on either Yorkshire pudding or bread. He eats dry toast and, according to his dad Stephen Turner, has recently started eating chicken dippers. He also likes chocolate and sweets. Catering staff had been making him Yorkshire puddings and Marmite for years.



Now though, his parents have been told the school can no longer accommodate his limited tastes and Aryn must eat school dinners or take a packed lunch. Aryn’s mother Lesley said: “I am making him Marmite butties every day. I am not happy with it. I do want to encourage him to eat but it is a really difficult situation. It would be nice to come to some agreement with them (school). It is hard work. I never take him to a restaurant, it is sad in a way. I hate the sight of Marmite with a vengeance.”

Anne Hardisty, headteacher at St Mary and St Benedict’s, said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on an individual pupil. However, we are always happy to work alongside parents and our school nurse to find a reasonable solution if children have difficulties which affect their eating, and we encourage children to try new things from the menu as well as eating what they already know they like.”