Cracking the Code on Child-friendly Nutrition

Designing a nursery menu can be challenging as dishes not only need to be nutritious and appealing but also stay within a tight budget. Creating a two-to-four-week rotating menu may be the answer. This means that dishes can be varied, nurseries can plan ahead and budgets can be managed.

Cracking the Code on Cost, Choice and Child-friendly Nutrition

At Tops Day Nurseries in Southbourne, Dorset, having a set menu allows the company to purchase in bulk and negotiate better prices with suppliers. Dee Liberty-Spark, catering manager, says “When planning the menu, we offer seasonal products which will be cheaper, but have high nutritional value. The food we provide doesn’t contain any added sugar – all sugars are naturally occurring in food.” Food is prepared from kitchen hubs, which reduces staffing costs and enables larger quantities of products to be purchased. “The menus have a variety of meals including meat free days with protein alternatives such as beans and pulses,” continues Dee. “They are checked by a nutritionist to ensure the dishes are well balanced. We encourage feedback from each nursery to see what meals are popular so we can adapt our menus each season to reduce wastage.”

Keeping abreast of costs is critical, and Dee monitors spending by visiting the kitchen hubs to find ways of decreasing costs without reducing the quality of food. “I will review costs with current suppliers and do comparisons with others to make sure we’re getting the best price. When menu planning, negotiations will be completed to guarantee fixed prices with our suppliers.”

Simple and seasonal is the advice from Luke Nelson-Neil, senior chef and chef trainer at London Early Years Foundation (LEYF). “Cook from scratch as much as possible, use affordable staples such as beans, lentils, eggs, pasta and rice and build menus around balanced meals rather than expensive convenience foods. If a dish is unpopular or creates waste, change it.” His team uses knowledge gained from the Early Years Chef Academy training to make menus appealing to children and recommends meat-free meals to help budgets stretch further. “A lentil and vegetable bolognese or a mild chickpea and sweet potato curry are good examples as they are nutritious and affordable,” he says.

Allergy Awareness

Managing food allergies and intolerances in nurseries is vitally important. Allergy School (www.allergyschool.org.uk), introduced a year ago by the food allergy charity The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, provides a wide range of resources for nurseries and schools. The resources can be tailored according to requirements, whether it’s helping children to understand food allergies or supporting staff in deepening their knowledge and inclusive practice. They are endorsed by the Department for Education and compatible with the national curriculum to encourage greater awareness and understanding.

Resources include an online self-assessment tool to find out how food allergy-friendly the organisation is and how the safety and wellbeing of students with food allergies can be improved. The “Welcome To Allergy School” film gives invaluable advice for teachers, schools and clubs. This includes information for staff training, off-site trips and how to respond to a food allergy emergency. For children aged three to five, there is a series of films introducing Arlo, a puppet created and brought to life by Sesame Street puppeteer Warrick Brownlow-Pike, who is a friendly armadillo with food allergies.

Jan parnell, director of education, at the natasha allergy research foundation says “staff working in early years settings – nurseries and pre-schools – are increasingly aware of the different issues and levels of support needed to ensure children with food allergies are safe. They include clear communication with parents and carers, supervision at mealtimes and training to avoid cross-contamination and how to respond to an allergic reaction. Through allergy school, Natasha’s Foundation will be supplying early years providers with new resources by the end of the year, which will sit alongside our existing allergy self-assessment reflecting the early years statutory guidance on food and allergies.”

Encouraging Exploration Through Food

It’s important that children are served small portions, so the meal is not overwhelming. At Tops Day Nurseries staff sit down with children at mealtimes to support and encourage them, allowing them to self-serve and having conversations about the food they are eating, making mealtimes a positive experience.

“Food activities or simply talking to children about what they are having for lunch can have an impact on how children view food,” says Luke Neilson-Neil from LEYF. “Make food colourful, familiar and easy to eat. Children respond well to variety in texture, taste and presentation, and they often need repeated exposure to new foods before accepting them.”

At tops day nurseries, kitchen hubs are planning to grow their own herbs on site “so we have fresh herbs to offer in meals as this is a high expenditure from suppliers,” says dee liberty-spark. “some nurseries grow fruit and vegetables which teaches children about the full cycle of planting, nurturing the plant and then being able to eat the produce.”