Healthy Food

As a family run business, with four children of our own, we have always firmly believed that it is our responsibility to ensure children get the best nutritional start, as this affects both their physical and mental development.

We always include a balance of proteins, calcium, carbohydrates, healthy oils and five portions of fruit and vegetables in every day of meals. We provide a variety of fruit and vegetable snacks so children experience different tastes and textures and realise that although they may dislike one vegetable, they may really enjoy another. We have also always had at least one Vegetarian day each week to show children they do not have to eat meat with every meal and this has become increasingly evident in the latest news publications which are advising how we need to eat less meat, as the production of meats is bad for the environment, and the healthy benefits of eating more vegetarian dishes in our diet.

We provide the children with a huge range of cuisines, often linked to their learning as part of our “Immersive Learning”, so children can experience a wide range of tastes and textures. Planning for theme related menus is timely and more expensive than having set menus on a rota basis but we feel it is worth these extra investments as it helps the children’s learning in relation to the learning goals, their communication with others about their meals and their willingness to try new foods. 

We educate the children on which foods are healthier than others and do this using books, visits from the dentist, visits to the fruit and vegetable shop, video clips, growing their own food and this term we are going on an outing to the local strawberry picking farms, to link healthy fruit snacks with their nature learning.

At meal times and snack times all the children sit together at tables. This “coming together” at meal times and snack times in the setting has helped to promote a sense of community, it gives children and carers the chance to talk about and reflect on the learning that has happened so far and what learning we are going to do next. It gives carers time to focus on children’s individual needs and time to help them develop their skills such as holding a cup or using a spoon. It also gives us the opportunity to let them try new skills such as using chopsticks or flipping pancakes in the frying pan. It gives the children a chance to stop for a moment and chat with their friends about their experiences. It gives us an opportunity, every day, to educate all the children about where their food comes from, how it fits into a balanced diet and what foods they should eat less of and why.

Children are encouraged to be a responsible part of meal times, this might include helping to grow the food, prepare the food, assist younger children at the table by handing out plates, pouring water and then taking their plates when finished to the kitchen and using their manners to say thank you. We try to encourage independent, self-sufficient children who work together positively to make meal times an enjoyable time where they can develop their skills and support others develop theirs.