Meals at the school tuckshop have come a long way.
From frozen pies and sausage rolls, to Japanese inspired karaage, lasagne burritos and tahini chocolate bliss balls.
The best recipes have been crowned by the Queensland Association of School Tuckshops (QAST).
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Camira State School’s Karaage Chicken and Rice Bowl took out 2026 Recipe of the Year for being affordable, nutritious and delicious.
It was created by tuckshop convenor Dana Sides.
“Kids absolutely love it. If I could do this every day I could but at the moment, it’s just our Thursday special,” she said.
It’s a crowd-pleaser among students and staff, selling for just $5 for a small serve and $7.50 for large.
Dana says it costs $2.27 per bowl to make.
“I wanted to bring in something that was fresh, healthy and of course affordable. So this ticks all those boxes and I’m glad it’s been so popular,” she said.
Cannonvale State School’s Chicken Ball Wrap claimed runner-up and Kalkie State School’s Ruby Red Banana Bread took out the Best Snack category.
QAST Executive Officer Keryn O’Neill said the winning recipes were selected from a record number of entries from across Queensland schools.
“The tuck shop’s really like the hub of the school community when it comes to food. So it’s really important to show the kids that delicious food can also be good for them.”
Health and Wellbeing Queensland nutritionist Matthew Dick congratulated the finalists, highlighting how far tuckshops have come.
“Children need to eat more fruits and vegetables. We’re seeing more dishes in there (tuckshops) that have vegetables in them and more fruit,” he told 7NEWS.
“This is exactly what we need to see. We want to change children’s diets, so they become more healthy,” he said.
“This is great for their immediate health in the short term and also really terrific for preventing chronic disease in the long term.”
2026 Recipe of the Year winners
