What Your Child Eats at Bade Nursery

Food is one of the things parents ask us about most. Whether it is a worry about allergies, a concern about fussy eating, or simply wanting to know that their child is being well-nourished while they are in our care, mealtimes matter. Here is an honest, detailed look at how we approach food at Bade Nursery.

Fresh Food, Cooked on Site Every Day

Everything your child eats at Bade Nursery is cooked fresh in our kitchen each morning. We do not use cook-chill meals, catering packs or pre-portioned food pouches. Our dedicated cook, who has worked with us for four years, arrives at 7 am every day to start preparation.

Our menus are designed with input from a qualified nutritionist and reviewed each season to reflect what is fresh, affordable and genuinely tasty for under-5s. Seasonal eating is not a buzzword for us: it means that in October the children eat butternut squash soup made with squash from a local allotment, and in July they eat strawberry yoghurt made with fruit from a farm ten miles away.

A Typical Day of Meals

Here is what a winter day might look like:

• Breakfast (8:00-8:30): Porridge with honey and banana, or wholegrain toast with peanut butter (alternatives always available for allergies)
• Mid-morning snack (10:00): Apple slices and rice cakes, water and milk
• Lunch (12:00): Shepherd's pie with peas and carrots, followed by rice pudding with a berry compote
• Afternoon snack (3:00): Wholemeal toast with cream cheese, or oatcakes with hummus

Portion sizes are appropriate for children aged 1-5, and second helpings are always available. We never pressure children to finish their plate, and we never use food as a reward or a punishment.

How We Handle Dietary Requirements

This is an area we take very seriously. Before your child starts, you will complete a detailed dietary information form covering:

• Food allergies (confirmed by allergy testing or medical diagnosis)
• Food intolerances
• Religious or cultural dietary requirements (halal, kosher, vegetarian, vegan)
• Strong food dislikes (we note these and try to work around them where possible)

Allergy information is displayed in the kitchen, communicated to every staff member at induction and reviewed at every menu change. Children with serious allergies have colour-coded plates and serving utensils. We do not operate a nut-free environment across the whole nursery, but we operate nut-free tables for any child with a confirmed nut allergy.

If your child has complex dietary needs, our cook will meet with you before their first day to go through the menu item by item. This is not optional; it is standard practice.

Supporting Fussy Eaters

Almost every child goes through a phase of fussy eating, and nursery can actually be one of the best environments to gently expand food preferences. Children are remarkably influenced by their peers: a child who refuses broccoli at home will often eat it at nursery because everyone else is eating it too.

Our approach to fussy eaters:

• We always offer a safe option alongside the main meal (bread, plain rice or similar) so no child goes hungry
• We never make a big deal of a refused food. Low pressure is the most effective long-term strategy
• We involve children in food preparation where possible: washing vegetables, stirring, serving. Children eat what they have helped make
• We give food a fair number of exposures before drawing conclusions. Research suggests children need to encounter a new food 10-15 times before accepting it

We log what your child eats each day in our parent app, so you can see at a glance whether they had a good lunch or whether they mostly nibbled toast. If we notice persistent refusal or significant appetite changes, we will mention it at pick-up rather than waiting for a formal meeting.

Mealtimes as Learning Time

The EYFS recognises mealtimes as valuable learning opportunities, and we treat them that way. Children sit together at tables with a staff member, not at staggered solo spots. Table conversation is encouraged: what did you do this morning? What does this taste like? What colour is that vegetable?

Children pour their own water, serve themselves where safe to do so, and help tidy away. These are not just practical skills. They build independence, fine motor control, spatial awareness and a sense of belonging to a community. A shared meal is one of the oldest forms of human connection, and even at age two, children feel that.

Can You See the Menu?

Yes, always. Our weekly menu is posted on the noticeboard by the main entrance every Monday morning and shared on the parent app each week. If you want to see a full term's menu in advance, just ask at reception. We are always happy to share it.