Kate Keogh, daughter of a former school dinner lady, has captivated TikTok audiences by sharing her mum's beloved nostalgic school dinner recipes. Her videos, showcasing simple, classic treats, have brought back a flood of childhood memories for countless social media users.

One of her most popular revelations is a five-ingredient school sponge cake, traditionally served with vibrant pink custard. Kate proudly demonstrated a slice of the sprinkle-topped sponge, noting its uncanny resemblance to the school dinner classic that kids used to eagerly queue for. Her mum, who worked as a school kitchen assistant, provided the "insider recipes." For the sponge, the recipe calls for 280g each of unsalted butter, golden caster sugar, and self-raising flour, along with 5 eggs and 2 tsp of Madagascan vanilla extract. The method involves creaming butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then adding eggs and vanilla essence, followed by sieving in the self-raising flour and mixing all ingredients together. The mixture is then placed onto a baking tray and baked for 30-35 minutes until golden. For the iconic pink custard, one simply adds a splash of pink food colouring to a tub of custard, heats it in the microwave, and then serves. The cake is completed with an icing made from 500g icing sugar and 5-6 tsp of water combined to a liquid consistency, spread on the flat side of the turned-over cake, and topped with sprinkles. This particular video, under the username @kate_keo, has garnered over 425,000 views, with comments praising the recipe and sharing fond memories of the treat, such as "My husband will love this! He loves school cake!" and "I love pink custard."

Building on this success, Kate also unveiled the secret behind another school dinner favorite: the "crackolet," more commonly known as cornflake tart. This crunchy, gooey treat, also an eager highlight of school mealtimes, has seen its recipe video reach an astounding 1.8 million views. Kate's mum, a seasoned "dinner lady," once again provided the simple instructions. The ingredients for this beloved tart include 60g of butter, 4 tbsps of golden syrup, 1 tbsp of cocoa powder, and a large portion of cornflakes (Kate did not specify a precise measurement for the cornflakes). The preparation involves melting butter and golden syrup in a pan on the hob, then removing from heat to mix in cocoa powder. This chocolate mixture is then poured over cornflakes in a mixing bowl and thoroughly combined before being placed into cake cases and left to set for one hour. TikTok users raced to share their thoughts, with one proclaiming, "Omg I used to love these at school!" and another adding, "I've been dreaming of these since school."

These simple yet profoundly nostalgic recipes, shared by Kate Keogh and her mum, continue to resonate deeply with a broad audience on TikTok, demonstrating the enduring power of food to evoke cherished childhood memories and connect generations, inviting viewers to take "a trip down memory lane."