Food, Drink & Nutrition

We aim to promote healthy eating within the Cottage through projects we do with the children, through communication with the children's parents/carers and the structure of the day at the Nursery.

We are committed to equality of opportunity (please see our Equal Opportunities policy), and plan our programme to extend the children's experience and knowledge of other cultures, celebrations and festivals, to include the different foods eaten.

We try to make the children aware of the different food groups and the need for a balanced diet through play and discussion.

Fresh Fruit  or Vegetables and either water or milk are provided free as part of `snack time’ mid session.

Fresh Water is available at all times.

Our registration form, which is completed by parents in respect of every child, asks the parents to record if the child suffers from any allergies (including food intolerance) and whether the child has any special dietary requirements (e.g. vegetarian, religious, cultural, medical).

We request that parents support us in our healthy eating aims when providing packed lunches for their children in the following ways:

·         Pack food in a lidded container (preferably an insulated one as we have no means of cold storing the packed food) with your child's name on it

·         Pack drink in a non-breakable container with your child's name on it

·         Avoid any foods such as crisps, chocolate, sweets or fizzy drinks or any other foods with high levels of additives/colourings (some children are highly sensitive to these ingredients which can severely affect their behaviour and/or make them sick)  

·         Avoid any foods with a nut content as children with a severe allergy to nuts can

     suffer extreme reactions even via indirect contact.

·         Fruit or vegetable and dairy snacks are encouraged

We are of course conscious of parental choice and where possible will comply with parent's wishes regarding the above.

We aim to promote hygiene by getting the children to wash their hands before snacks or meals (for further information please see our Health and Safety policy) . We try to make snacks and meals sociable occasions with the children sitting down together in small groups. We also ask our staff when eating with the children to adhere to this policy.

Any uneaten food will be left in the children's lunch boxes so parents can then see what the child has or has not eaten.

Food and Drink Policy

Any snacks and meals provided will be nutritious and as varied as possible. We also aim to reflect the multicultural and religious backgrounds of the children, and where possible to comply with parent's wishes. We try to make snacks and meals sociable occasions with the children sitting down together in small groups.

Food and Drink Procedure

·         Staff and children to wash hands before touching food

·         Children not to swap food with others in case of food allergies.

·         Parents to provide written detail of any food allergies suffered by the child

·         Kitchens to be kept clean and tidy

·         Rubbish bins to be emptied regularly

Food Handling

Staff involved in the handling and preparation of food will be trained in basic food hygiene.

In the event that 2 or more children are diagnosed as suffering from food poisoning or a child is suffering from a notifiable disease then OFSTED should  also be informed and their advice followed.

These include: