STAFF at a school cafeteria have been presented with a basket of fruit and a certificate after winning a healthy eating award.

Food For Thought, at Derwentside College, has gained the national Heartbeat Award.

The cafeteria provides healthy sandwiches, snacks and main meals for students and college staff.

It was graded on how it reduces fat content in dishes, increases the amount of fruit and vegetables available and the number of healthy options on offer.

Catering team leader Sue Pearson said: "We are very pleased to have been given this award.

"It can be quite difficult to encourage young people to eat healthy food.

"We try to make exotic fruit, such as strawberries and pineapples, a bit cheaper than other sweet things to get them to try that instead.

"Most of the girls are very health conscious and have jacket potatoes with salad, but it harder with the lads, who just want chips, chips and chips.

"Overall, though, it has been a real success."

County Durham Primary Care Trust's health promotion specialist Elaine Jackson said: "It is not just about offering healthy food, it is about offering a variety so people have got a wide range of options to choose from.

"These awards have been going for a long time and were around a long time before Jamie Oliver."