Early Years Catering (EYC), a specialist children’s caterer, provide the nursery with hot, freshly prepared lunches. The nursery has a no salt and no sugar policy and fresh fruit is offered in place of a dessert. Vegetarian and special diet lunches are pre-ordered to meet individual dietary needs. Lunches are freshly prepared every day and delivered mid-morning, ready to serve. Parents of children in receipt of free hours are able to bring their own food for their child if they wish.

Having specialist caterers enables us to provide consistently, high quality food for the children. EYC prepare all meals in their kitchens from fresh ingredients each day and do not serve processed foods. For more information about lunch menus and standards please look at www.earlyyearscatering.co.uk

Afternoon and morning snack is either a cracker or fruit or both. Snacks given are only those suitable for the age group. Drinks offered are full fat organic milk or tap water.

Tea time is a light meal served at 3.30 to 4.30pm of crackers, wholemeal bread, cold meats, cheeses, salad, dried and fresh fruit.

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. 

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 mealtimes sitting with the children, eating together, and acting as role models to teach good table manners. There is plenty of food and the children are always offered seconds. Older children are encouraged to plate their own food and also help serve food to the younger children in the group. Children having food from home sit with all children and are not seated separately.

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 children will refuse food or not eat much. Eating in a group with their peers will often resolve this. If this persisted we would ask about what happens at mealtimes at home and work together to resolve. There are also times when children will eat a lot more than usual and can’t seem to get enough food. This is often as they become more mobile, active and through rapid growth.