Channings Childcare

Our Food

Our Principles

Food

We believe that meal-times should be a happy, relaxed time where children learn social skills, manners, good hygiene practice and healthy eating habits to last them a lifetime.

Depending upon the time of the child’s attendance, we provide breakfast, a mid- morning snack of fresh fruit, a two course lunch, a mid- afternoon fruit snack and late afternoon tea.

We have dozens of healthy eaters across our nurseries. All our meals and snacks are nutritious and we avoid large quantities of fat, sugar, salt, additives, preservatives and colourings. We ensure that the main meals we offer include protein for growth, carbohydrates for energy and essential vitamins and minerals to promote growth and good health. We offer a huge selection of fresh raw fruit and vegetables as snacks, as part of a balanced diet.

We have a cook at each nursery who caters for the needs of all our children, including those with dietary requirements. We work with parents to ensure food allergies, intolerances and religious requirements are catered for.

Our Menus

Food

We work on a four week menu timetable, which is the same for all our nurseries. This ensures variety for our young diners. We have dozens and dozens of healthy eaters across our nurseries. All our meals are made using a wide variety of vegetables (see our menu section for example ingredients) and snacks are fresh fruit.

All our menus are available on the nursery notice boards for parents to view.

Healthy Snacks

The children are offered a wide selection of fresh fruit for snacks. Each week we have a fruit of the week, therefore offering the child a range of taste experiences alongside education. Our fruit of the week is usually a seasonal fruit.

Drinks

We provide milk with breakfast, and as a choice of drink throughout the day. Water is served with meals and given upon demand and available for children to help themselves in the tweenie/toddler and pre-school rooms.

Fresh Fruit & Vegetables

KitchenAll our fruit and vegetables are delivered fresh to the nurseries, from apples to mangoes, blueberries to pineapples, sweet potatoes to tomatoes, kale to carrots, and pretty much everything else you can think of!

Fresh Meat

Our meat is delivered fresh from the local butcher – chicken, beef and sausages. Halal meat is delivered where needed. Our butcher makes his own sausages, including Halal sausages, so all our children can eat the same menu.

Sample Menus

Lunch Examples:

Shepherd’s pie: with minced lamb, vegetables topped with sweet potato and potato mash.

Cheesy broccoli quiche: homemade quiche served with new potatoes and salad.

Stir fried chicken and noodles: with diced fresh chicken, vegetables with egg noodles.

Beef stew and dumplings: with minced beef, vegetables and potatoes, served with dumplings.

Ham and sweetcorn pasta: made with mushrooms, leeks and carrots.

Desserts Examples:

Rock buns

Apple crumble and custard

Jelly and ice cream

Fresh fruit salad

Sponge and custard

Tea in the Afternoon Examples:

Cheesy dip with pitta bread and vegetable sticks

Jacket potato with cheese

Homemade tomato soup

Selection of sandwiches

Tortilla wraps