While the rest of us were lucky to get a Vegemite sandwich and an Uncle Toby’s muesli bar, fourth in line to the throne, Princess Charlotte, has started her first week at Thomas’s Battersea with oven-baked pea and mint falafels and mango chutney.

The private preparatory day school, which charges $38,000 in annual fees, serves an impressive menu to its students, with dishes that would not seem out of place in a fine-dining restaurant.

That means, no plastic-wrapped pies or McCain’s pizza pockets. Instead, the young royal will dine on organic milk and warm buttermilk scones for a mid-morning snack, followed by lunch options like Penang prawn and pineapple curry, smoked haddock kedgeree and butternut squash pilaf.

For dessert, there’s sticky date sponge with fromage frais and Dutch apple tart with ice cream. So much for Dunkaroos.

Following the trend for plant-based eating, the school will offer a meat-free menu on Fridays. And if any of the 4-12-year-olds are vegan, vegetarian or require gluten-free or dairy-free alternatives, these are also available.

Thomas’s Battersea has a three-week menu cycle, which is repeated once, and then changed up with the seasons, with lighter lunches in spring, and more substantial meals in winter.

“Each term the catering team develop a range of ideas and dishes with an emphasis on healthy cooking, full flavour and presentation. Our goal is to not only persuade pupils to eat but, more importantly, to enjoy a balanced diet whilst at school,” the website says.

Almost all meals are made using organic meat, fruit and vegetables, and without the use of artificial colouring or flavourings.

“We implement a strict control on the use of salt and sugar as it is our responsibility to encourage the children to eat a balanced diet by creating attractive menus and keeping the children informed on how to eat healthily,” the website says.