9:30AM BST 10 May 2012
Martha Payne, nine, posted the series of pictures as part of a writing project she started with her father Dave.
When she first checked her website, called NeverSeconds, late last month to see if she had any reaction, it had received only three hits.
But on Thursday it had become an internet hit and amassed more than 40,000 hits.
Such were people’s shock at the content it started “trending” on Twitter, meaning it was one of the most talked about topics on the microblogging site.
She has been compared to the television chef, who has also campaigned for healthy school dinners.
Because her home is on the west coast of Scotland, standards for school meals are different and improvements throughout Britain appear not to have been applied to her unidentified school.
With permission from teachers, she photographed her £2 school lunches and wrote about them, posting pictures online every day and added a rating under her “Food-o-meter”.
Her first picture was a slice of pizza and a single potato croquette, alongside some sweetcorn and a cupcake for desert.
She wrote: “The good thing about this blog is Dad understands why I am hungry when I get home. Today he made a Banana Loaf, shame I don't like bananas, see I am not perfect!”
Another picture included a cheeseburger, two potato croquettes, tiny slices of cucumber and a lolly.
Subsequent attempts to post were thwarted by a faulty camera. Her school has not been identified.
Martha, whose mother Rebecca is a GP, began the blog because she is interested in writing.
The schoolgirl, who is supervised by her father, who manages a smallholding at home, said on Thursday: “I was gobsmacked. I never expected to get so much interest.”
Asked what the food was like, she replied: “It's usually pretty horrible.”
She added: “I'd like them to serve more, and maybe let some people have seconds if they want to ... and not serve stuff that's a wee bit disgusting.”
Her father said: “It really seems to have touched a nerve.
“I joked that it would probably go viral. I really didn't believe it would.” The school has not commented.
Happy Mothers's Day!
- jerzeetomato
on Jun. 28, 2012 at 3:57 PM