Food & Nutrition

Early Years Catering (EYC) are a specialist award winning children’s caterer. They provide the nursery with hot, freshly prepared home cooked meals each day. Their menus run on a three week seasonal cycle, consistently offering a different range of nutritionally balanced meals each week.

The nursery has a no sugar policy and fresh fruit is offered for dessert. Vegetarian, vegan and special diets are pre-ordered to meet individual dietary needs and allergies. Lunches are freshly prepared every day and delivered to the nursery mid-morning, ready to serve. Lunches are made from fresh ingredients and there are no processed foods. To see menus and find out more please look at www.earlyyearscatering.co.uk

Mid morning and afternoon snack is available for the children and freshly prepared at the nursery. A variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, plain yoghurt, rice cakes and crackers are offered. Snacks are only those suitable for the age group. Drinks offered are full fat organic milk or tap water.

Tea time is a light meal of sandwiches, fresh vegetables and fruit prepared at the nursery. Sandwiches are made with wholemeal bread from a local bakery and protein based fillings such as fish, pulses and cheese. Fresh vegetables; peppers, avocados, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber are also available as finger food. A range of fruit is offered for dessert; apples, bananas, pears, melons, mangos, strawberries and other fruit depending on the season.

We recommend that children, regardless of age, or how well they may have eaten on a nursery day, be offered food again in the evening at home. For more information about food at the nursery please see the Nutrition and Mealtimes Policy.

Frequently asked questions:

How much food is offered at a mealtime?
What do we do if food is refused?

Eating and mealtimes are an important part of our day, and time and care is taken to make these happy, social occasions. Children are seated in small groups at separate tables. Staff members join in sitting with the children, eating together, and acting as role models to teach good table manners. Older children are encouraged to plate their own food and also help serve food to the younger children in the group.

Children have varying needs at mealtime, and all are assisted as and when needed with encouragement given as appropriate. Very young children in the group are not left to feed themselves unaided.

There are times when very young children might refuse food. Food is offered again later in the day if a mealtime is missed or food is refused.