A headmaster who expelled a boy after his parents defied his healthy eating policy and sent him to school with Mini Cheddars has, er, confessed to feeding 100 pupils McDonald's for lunch.
However, headteacher Jeremy Meek said it was better than the kids going without any kind of meal after the school was broken into.
The controversial head hit the headlines after he expelled six-year-old Riley Pearson over his parents' refusal to fall in line with the new packed lunch initiative at Colnbrook CofE Primary in Slough, Berkshire.
Newspapers said the furore was sparked by a packet of Mini Cheddars the boy had in his lunch box, but Mr Meek told Parentdish that a catalogue of issues led to his decision, including abusive language and 'a persistent and deliberate breach of school policy, such as bringing in crisps, biscuits, sausage rolls, mini sausages, scotch eggs and similar'.
But The Sun newspaper seems to have it in for Mr Meek and with the same doggedness as the Watergate reporters (Cheddar-Gate?), it has continued to dig into the head's past and uncovered the McDonald's misdemeanour – which under-fire Mr Meek has held his hands up to.
He told the paper: "The school was broken into last year and as a result we were unable to use the school kitchen that day.
"We were faced with trying to source approximately 100 hot lunches for our pupils at very short notice.
"The school opted for fish finger meals from McDonald's. This was before the introduction of our healthy-eating policy in January and avoided the pupils not being provided with any kind of meal."
But Riley's fuming dad Tom isn't happy.
He said: "There were five dinner ladies working, why didn't they go to the shop a few minutes' away, get some bread and make some sandwiches if they are so concerned about healthy eating?
"McDonald's is junk food pure and simple. The headteacher is happy to feed kids with fast food on the one hand but kick Riley out for having Mini Cheddars on the other.
"The way Riley and my family have been treated is a complete disgrace."
Under the school's new policy crisps, cake, fizzy drinks and chocolate are outlawed. Other parents at the school have said their kids come home hungry because they cannot eat what they want.
We can't help but feel that this story is on a (cheese) roll...we camembert the tension!