Mealtime and Dietary Requirements
Delicious Homecooked Meals
We provide all meals from breakfast, lunch and tea and ensure that each meal is well balanced and nutritious, using organic produce when possible. We plan our menus to cover a 3-weekly cycle and accommodate all dietary requirements. The meals are all home cooked on the premises leaving you to simply bring your little one to us and set off to work. We encourage children where appropriate to get involved in the planning and preparation of snacks, which include foods such as fruit, raw vegetables, raisins, cheese, toast, breadsticks, rice cakes, milk and water. Lunch is served at 12 noon and consists of a main course and dessert, tea being at 4.30pm and we offer a filling tea so all you take home is a tired little tot so no need to start cooking again after a long day at work. We work closely with parent ‘s of children with specific dietary and medical needs and work with Parents when we plan our menus.
Mealtimes are a real social occasion and staff sit and eat with the children. We invite parents to join us for mealtimes anytime if they wish.
Please note due to the outbreak of COVID 19 we have revised our routines for mealtimes to minimise the children seating for periods next to one another. Meal times will be staggered and kept to a separate area from explorative play. Parents will not temporally be able to join us during mealtimes. Staff will continue to assist where support for a child is needed whilst wearing their PPE.
We believe that eating healthily is extremely important in the development of young children. We recognise that children should be able to enjoy food as well as learn good behaviours for the future.
We acknowledge that sugary foods and drinks, fatty foods or foods containing additives are almost unavoidable in the modern diet. However we have tried our best to plan our menus to minimise these influences and encourage enjoyment of a wide range of foods, including organic produce.
We have a dedicated milk kitchen next to the baby room where we prepare a range of formula milks as well as provide refrigerated storage for expressed milk. Babies will be encouraged to try different foods, which will be prepared in the main kitchen. We welcome suggestions from parents on any aspect of the children’s meals and snacks
Weaning Menus – Babies 3 – 9 months
Whilst children are still developing their capabilities with food, we can provide a range of weaning options which cater for children from 3 months upwards. We also provide a arrange of purees, porridges and formula milks whilst your baby is migrating to solid food. If there is a specific brand of milk or food type that your baby prefers please discuss this with your key person.
We have two fantastic chefs who liaise with the key person about children’s dietary needs and over the years they have evolved a range of recipes that cater for most requirements. During the settling in period when you and your child’s key person are completing a care plan, we can discuss specific dietary needs such as :
- Cultural preferences
- Vegetarianism or veganism
- Food allergies or intolerances
- Dietary and nutritional specifics
As part of our initial and on-going care arrangements, we monitor and manage a wide range of dietary needs. Our kitchen staff keep daily records of children attending the nursery so that they are aware of specific requirements.
We operate a strict no nut policy in the nursery, details of which can be seen on the parent’s notice board or in our policies file in the reception area. Some products may contain traces of nuts but this might not be overtly listed on the ingredients or may be part of an ingredient not necessarily broken down further. If in doubt, please let us have a definitive list of those products of which you are aware that might prove troublesome to your child.