Snacks & Lunches
Diet and nutrition are extremely important in the health, growth and development of your child and we encourage good eating habits at an early stage.
Poor nutrition and poor eating habits can have an adverse effect on children's behavior and physical ability, so it is important to offer a variety of foods with a good nutritional balance.
Snacks
A healthy snack is provided twice a day (mid morning and afternoon).
The cost is 40p per snack and this will be added to your monthly invoice.
You can opt out of the snack arrangement but you must provide a healthy snack for your child (morning and afternoon) which complies with our healthy eating guidelines.
You must tell us if you wish to opt out and this must be a long term arrangement; changes cannot be made on a week to week basis.
Fruit and vegetables are bought from Washingpool Farm for our snacks.
The morning snack usually includes some carbohydrate such as a breadstick, wrap or scotch pancake; sometimes there might be cheddar cheese, soft cheese or houmous
The milk is supplied by Hangers Dairy in reusable glass bottles.
Everything else is usually bought from Co-op, Lidl or Waitrose.
Food allergens and specific dietary requirements are catered for and information is provided in advance to parents.
Early drop off club: Children are offered a small 'second' breakfast as we expect them to have eaten at home. The snack will usually be toast, cereal, crumpet or fruit.
Birthdays: Children can choose a friend to help them bake for their birthday (eg, scotch pancake, cheese scone, plain cupcake). Everyone has snack together, tablecloths are used, the birthday child sits on the 'birthday chair' and Happy Birthday is sung before they blow out the candles and are given a card.
Lunch session
DAYS AND TIMES: 12:10 to 12.40 (Monday to Friday)
Government funding may be used to pay for the lunch session (30 mins) or included in the invoiced hours.
Use a wipeable plastic or metal lunch box (no drink) clearly marked with your child's name.
No fabric lunch bags as these take up too much space on the table and in the fridge.
We provide cutlery and a choice of milk or water for lunch.
Save money and cut out single-use plastic by decanting yogurt, soft cheese and dips into reusable pots. Do the same with breadsticks, crackers, rice cakes, hard cheese etc.
All uneaten food will be put back in the lunch box so you know exactly what and how much your child has eaten.
lunchbox ideas
REGULAR OPTIONS
Sandwich, wrap, pitta, bagel, roll with a savoury filling
Savoury biscuits/oatcakes/breadsticks with cheese or dip
Small tub of salad (eg pasta, cheese, tuna)
Scotch or plain boiled egg, quiche, pizza slice, cold sausage, savoury muffin
Fruit (apple, orange, pear, grapes, banana, strawberries etc)
Veg (carrot/cucumber sticks, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, olives)
Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, dried fruit bars)
OCCASIONAL TREATS
Fruit yogurt, fruit smoothie
Fruit jelly (make in individual lidded pots)
Fruit crumble/pie
Piece of cake, bun, flapjack
Small plain or chocolate biscuit
A few crisps in a small tub (split a pack)
NEVER
No sweets or bars of chocolate or fruit strings or chocolate desserts
LUNCHBOX IDEAS
There are some excellent lunch box ideas and more information on: https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes
healthy options
Aim for a balance between food types.
Keep to suitable portion sizes; don't be tempted to put too much in because you are worried your child won't eat anything.
Keep packaging to a minimum to reduce landfill. It also makes it easier for children to manage their lunchboxes without help.
No yoghurt tubes or plastic food pouches (plastic waste)
Children are expected to eat the savoury part of their lunch first.
Children are encouraged to eat as much as they feel the need to, rather than eat everything in their lunch box. This will help them regulate what they eat and recognise when they feel hungry or full.
Parents are asked to keep crisps, cake, biscuits and sweet things to a minimum so they are seen as an occasional treat. Try splitting a packet of crisps over 2 days.
No sweets, bars of chocolate, chocolate desserts or smoothies as these are all high in sugar.
Avoid foods with high levels of artificial additives such as colourings or sweeteners as children can be highly sensitive to these. Such additives can severely affect their behaviour and/or make them sick.
We will inform you of any allergies in the pre-school that you need to be aware of when packing your child's lunch, eg, nut. Children with an allergy can suffer extreme reactions even via indirect contact.
Some fruits/foods can present a choking hazard so no fruit strings, popcorn or marshmallows. Fruits such as grapes, olives, cherry tomatoes and blueberries should be cut into halves (lengthways) or quarters to reduce the risk. Sausages should be cut lengthways.
Food allergens...
Current food labelling regulations mean we must inform you if any of the 14 allergens listed below are contained in food and/or drinks supplied by the pre-school.
See the Snack and Allergen list below for full details. The allergens are highlighted in bold print (eg, Milk).
Cereals containing gluten such as wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt or khorasan
Crustaceans for example prawns, crabs, lobster, crayfish
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Soybeans
Milk (including lactose)
Nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia (or Queensland) nut
Celery (including celeriac)
Mustard
Sesame seeds
Sulphur dioxide (>10mg/kg or 10mg/L)
Lupin
Mollusc for example clams, mussels, whelks, oysters, snails and squid
Below you will find our list of regular snacks. The allergens are highlighted in bold print (eg, Milk).
It is important to let us know if your child has any food allergies or intolerances, or develops any in the future
Details of the current week’s snack are posted on the whiteboard outside the entrance.
Children who are known to have allergies will not be offered anything they shouldn't consume.
Recipes will be checked for allergens and substitutions made as needed, eg, dairy free spread for butter or oat milk for cows milk.
Details of foods and ingredients used in Bake & Share Lunches will be included in the consent letter for the lunch.
We will provide details of the food being provided for the Christmas Party.
Food allergens snacks 2023.docx