Photo: fresh fruit

Health

At Kiddlywinks we are passionate about using mealtimes to support and educate children in developing healthy lifestyles. Our team aim to ensure that children are provided with opportunities to develop their knowledge and independence to make healthy choices in our endeavour to continue to provide children with strong foundations for good health and nutrition for the future.

Menus

Our menus aim to:

  • Enrich children’s experiences
  • Encourage children to try new foods
  • Celebrate and share diversity
  • Promote our own cultures and promote an understanding of others
  • Develop and promote parent partnership
  • Use food and social eating times to promote all areas of the early years curriculum
We endeavour to meet the needs of all the children whether they suffer from food intolerances, allergies or have particular life choices.

We have a four-week rotating menu so children get the opportunity to experience a range of different foods. This changes seasonally and is reflective of the children’s views and we encourage parents to make suggestions to enhance our menus further.

We provide weekly and daily menu information within the playrooms and entry notice boards. If you wish you can also have a copy of the four-week menu rotation to help you with home meal planning. We record what each child has eaten, including milk feeds and this information is available for your child on our Daily Diary App.

Breakfast

Cereals/toast, milk/juice, yogurts/fruit all provide the nutrients needed to start the day. We are more than happy to provide cereal for your child at no extra charge. Alternatively, let us know your requirements.

Snacks

Each nursery provides a healthy morning and afternoon snack and information related to these can be found on the nursery notice boards.

Lunch

Our menus reflect a diversity of cultures and encourage little ones to explore new tastes and textures that support them in growing their understanding of the wider world in a meaningful way.

Tea

If you'd like your child to have a light tea with us, this can be arranged. Lunch, Snack and Tea menus are all in the entrance foyer for your approval. Teas will be charged for separately.

Drinks

We are a Tooth Friendly Nursery and we have been accredited with ‘Smiles for Life’ status. We discourage sweets in lunch boxes and request that only milk or water is provided as a drink.

Babies

We can happily make up formula milk bottles for feeds fresh each day. Breast-feeding mothers can come in and feed their baby if they wish or we can store expressed breast milk. We support the weaning process and, once your baby is handling first-stage purees, we will move on to a wider variety of foods.

Sample Lunch menus

Week 1

  • Monday: Chicken & Ham with Short Crust Pastry Pie, Fresh Raspberries and Custard
  • Tuesday: Fish, Vegetable Pie Topped with Creamy Mash, Banana Split
  • Wednesday: Very Mild Chilli Con Carne, Syrup Pancakes and Strawberries
  • Thursday: Steamed Mixed Vegetable Carbonara, Melon and Sorbet
  • Friday: Beef Shepherd’s Pie, Strawberry Jam and Cream Scone

Week 2

  • Monday: Sausage Casserole Chopped Onions, Fromage Frais
  • Tuesday: Beef Lasagne, Gingerbread Person/ Fruit Pots for babies
  • Wednesday: Lamb Mince and Mixed Vegetable Hot Pot, Cheese and Biscuits/ Baby Fruit Pot
  • Thursday: Mild Chicken Curry, Strawberries and Creme Fraiche
  • Friday: Steak & Ale with Short Crust Pastry Pie, Bananas and Custard

Week 3

  • Monday: Vegetable Lasagne, Flapjack and Apple Slices
  • Tuesday: Meatballs In Tomato Sauce, Vanilla Yogurt and Summer Fruits
  • Wednesday: Haddock with parsley sauce, Chocolate Sponge and Vanilla Custard
  • Thursday: Beef & Mushroom Stew, Fromage Frais
  • Friday: Sweet & Sour Chicken with Onions & Roasted Peppers, Fruit and Jelly with Ice Cream

Week 4

  • Monday: Meatballs In Tomato Sauce, Vanilla Yogurt with Digestive Crumble
  • Tuesday: Mild Beef Curry, Rice Pudding with Strawberry Compote
  • Wednesday: Spaghetti Bolognaise, Cheese and Biscuits/Baby Fruit Pot
  • Thursday: Cottage Pie with Cheesy Mash, Sponge Pudding and Ice Cream
  • Friday: Bacon & Leek in White Sauce Bake, Strawberry Whip with Shortbread Biscuit

Mealtimes

Mealtimes are relaxed at Kiddlywinks with lots of time for chatter, developing good table manners and learning about the foods they eat and nutrition. Developing independence is highly prioritised and when children are ready, they are encouraged to help set the table, serve some of their own foods and pour their own drinks. When the time is right, they are encouraged to use knives and forks and drink from open cups, tidy away after themselves and use mirrors to help them identify that they need to clean their faces.

Nutrition

We constantly monitor and audit the quality nutritional value of ALL foods offered to children in nursery. Our best practice policy focuses heavily on minimising the use of salt, sugar and refined sugars and additives. We do not serve “value” brand meat or tinned foods in nursery at any time. Food is purchased fresh each week and delivered directly to the nursery. The majority of our foods are supplied locally, and our milk is supplied by our local milkman in glass bottles.

Logos: NDNA, Early Years Alliance, I Can, Sing & Sign, Smile 4 Life