A schoolboy wrote to his headteacher asking for the recipe for his favorite school lunch when his father's lockdown attempt at mince and dumplings failed to come up to scratch.

Arthur Dawson, eight, has been missing his lunches at Langley First School in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, England, since it closed due to the pandemic.

He wrote to headteacher Tim Jones, pleading for help, and the letter did the trick as Mr. Jones contacted the catering team at North Tyneside Council who shared their secrets.

Arthur's letter to his headteacher, Tim Jones (North Tyneside Council/PA)

In the handwritten note, Arthur said:

"Dear Mr. Jones, I have missed you. But what I have missed most is the dinner ladies' mince and dumplings."

"It's the best food ever. Please can we have the secret recipe for mince and dumplings."

Arthur did not spare his father's blushes over his one attempt at recreating the dish, describing it as "very bad."

Mr. Jones said the letter brought some much-needed light relief.

He said:

"It most definitely put a smile on my face reading it, especially as I can imagine him telling his dad exactly what he thought of his home-made version."

Arthur Dawson in the kitchen with his father, Antony (North Tyneside Council/PA)

Arthur's mother, Dawn, said her husband, Antony, has since used the school recipe and had much better results.

She said:

"Arthur loved making this meal with his daddy…and it turned out to be really, really tasty."

"When Antony last tried to make this, it did not pass Arthur's exacting standards. It was not as good as the school's."

"This time, though, Arthur loved it and gave it the thumbs up. We'll be making it again next week."

Arthur Dawson gives a thumbs up to his mince and dumplings dinner after asking his headteacher for the recipe (North Tyneside Council/PA)