Emily DennisCash-strapped families in Norfolk had some good news last night after it was revealed that the price of school dinners has been frozen for a second year running.Emily Dennis

Cash-strapped families in Norfolk had some good news last night after it was revealed that the price of school dinners has been frozen for a second year running.

Norfolk County Council has decided to fix the price of school meals at �2 for primary schools and �2.05 for junior schools as it emerged that there has been an increase in the take-up of school dinners over the last year.

Norse Group, a trading arm of the county council, delivers the vast majority of school meals to Norfolk's schools and has seen a 5pc increase in sales of lunches over the past 12 months.

Tony Williams, Norfolk county councillor with responsibility for commercial services and director on the board of the Norse Group of companies, said: 'We know many families in the county are finding times hard at the moment and we have fixed our school meal prices to try to ensure take-up doesn't drop off as families look for ways to save cash.

'Our school meals are healthy and nutritious and enjoyed by thousands of pupils every day. They are also fantastic value for money and follow strict standards, which mean parents can be confident that their children are enjoying a healthy and tasty lunch.

'The decision to freeze the price of our meals comes at the same time as we set the lowest ever council tax increase in the county, highlighting our commitment to support Norfolk families in these difficult financial times.'

The county council said it saw a drop in school meal uptake following celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's campaign to improve dinners in 2005 and the introduction of new government standards in 2006, despite already serving healthy meals with fresh ingredients.

Uptake has now started to increase again, with Norse working to keep its menus as creative as possible.

On average more than 20,000 pupils have a school meal each day in the county.