Nursery food very unhealthy??

[Kira7]

Does anyone else have issues with their nursery menu? I am quite worried it's extremely unhealthy but don't know how to bring up the subject without sounding awful!

Examples of dinners:
Spaghetti hoops and crumpets (???)
Baked beans on toast
Scrambled eggs and waffles
Pizza and garlic bread
Chicken dippers with baked beans

Lunches are a bit better and include risottos, bolognese, macaroni cheese, curries, sausages and peas (don't think under 5s should have sausages but okay).

They also get chocolate chip cookies, ice cream and chocolate rice krispies!!!

It's not like this is a cheap nursery with fees at over £1000 a month.

I'm not allowed to send my own food and feel disappointed that all my efforts to give my child a healthy lifestyle have gone to waste. She is starting to refuse healthy food at home too :(

How can I bring up my concerns without sounding awful? In the nursery prospectus it says that the menu is created by a child nutritionist and that everything is cooked from scratch but just can't see how this can be true?

[dementedpixie]

Since when should under 5s not have sausages?

[Whatwouldscullydo]

Its not great is it. I mean the sausages are likely to be the cheap ones so yes I'd worry a bit about the filler vs meat and salt content fir the very small children.

I'd not be that impressed with the lunches

[Mamagotskills]

Under 5s shouldn’t have sausages?! My 3yo is not going to be happy...

[dementedpixie]

Is it the lack of veg that bothers you? Although beans count towards a veg portion.

[Mamagotskills]

Seriously though is this the whole menu? Or just the worst bits out of 3 weeks of menus?

[SBTLove]

Spaghetti hoops and crumpets? odd combination 🙄

[Iminaglasscaseofemotion]

Unders 5's can't have sausages?

[Ditheringdooley]

No advice...if those things aren’t all made from scratch (not sure how you’d make spaghetti hoops from scratch) it doesn’t sound like it’s all homemade and therefore could be pretty high salt (bread based plus processed foods).

What do thé terms and conditions say about food?

[SBTLove]

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion
Collective gasps of small people across the country at the no sausage rule!!!!!

[EasterIssland]

Aa long as sausages are properly cut they can have them. Same thing happens with apples or cherry tomatoes or grapes or nuts. They’re a chocking hazard hence they should be properly cut.

Is it cooked from scratch or tin food mainly? I’d say my son eats similar but cooked from scratch and I consider it quite healthy option. They give him loads of fruit as well.

[GiveMeAllTheGin8]

Are the pizzas homemade ? Are the chicken dippers homemade ?
I’d imagine they are made on site and if they have had a big hot lunch , they are probably getting a tiny portion of dinner .
My two year olds favourite food is sausages, I don’t know where you got over 5’s from

[Amum89]

Sooo I'd also be very unhappy with this!

This sounds like all treat food to me!

Can you change nursery? What nutritionist has written this!?

Also why are you snobbish around sausages !? My little one eats a variety of well produced sausages from our butcher! Totally get why you wouldn't want to give her a Richmond sausage though...

[dementedpixie]

I suppose hoops and crumpets is similar to hoops on toast as they are bread based too

[StopCryingYourHeartOut]

Wow my sons nursery don't do anything like that and it's definitely not a posh nursery one in Blackpool!

He had fish paella the other day, and stuff like summer veg risotto, chilli, Hungarian goulash!!

[Blondiecub0109]

As per PP is that just Select item off a rotating menu? DS feed sausage roll, carrot cake, sponge pudding, sweet potato waffles, ice cream, angel delight .. once a month on rotation! Other teatime meals are wraps and fruit, houmous and pitta, Cheese (dairylea) on toast, puddings like fruit salad, apples and raisins etc.

Children need energy ... and a much higher level of fat than sendentry adults. No food is ‘bad’ food just depends on the circumstances and energy needs.

[Iminaglasscaseofemotion]

@SBTLove not my small people. They don't like sausages, the weirdos!

[Bernardstolemywatch]

What happens if an under 5 has a sausage? Does the child blow up or something? Is it safe to have sausages the day after their 5th birthday?

[Fandabydosey]

It's not the healthiest of menus by the sound of it. Sounds quite high in processed food. What do they have for snack? Sausages depending on the type are OK. Our nursery is on a 3 week rotation so would only get say a sausage plait once every 3 weeks but the plait is made from butchers meat and from scratch. It is incredibly difficult for a nursery to provide for preferences and allergies within a sensible budget

[Kira7]

The sausages comment is because of high salt content and highly processed meat. Butchers sausages are probably just as good as say pork chops so I wouldn't have a problem with those (I just wouldn't eat them out of choice myself 🤣 ). I don't have a great diet myself by any means, so please don't take my comment as criticism to how anyone eats. Everyone can eat however they want...I just want to control what goes into DD until she's older and can refuse to let me make her eat healthy ☺️

My main concern about the nursery food is salt content and lack of vegetables. Most days it is what I've listed above, except for the odd day in the month where it's sandwiches or tuna supreme.

They seem to have spaghetti hoops with crumpets or baked beans with crumpets twice a week.

For snack time they almost always do a fruit.

I just don't know how to ask them about whether they get low salt options etc and who the nutritionist is without sounding judgy, if you see what I mean? I don't want to be the problem parent lol

[VeggieSausageRoll]

Wait until your DC gets their own opinions about food. This week mine has had turkey dinosaurs, chicken fingers and fish fingers already, and it's only Thursday

[OverTheRainbow88]

I wouldn’t be happy with that menu, it sounds very lazy and fast foodie. Too much salt and processed meat.

The lunches sound good at least. I would raise it. Or say you don’t want your child to have the puddings every day. I’ve told out nursery only fruit for pudding except once a week.

[Kira7]

@VeggieSausageRoll I can imagine! I'm awful at saying no so need to make the most of these years before that happens!

OverTheRainbow98 Maybe I'll do it via email and make it into a question about salt content so it comes across less complain-y

[EachPeachPearSums]

That's a shit menu and not nearly enough veg or complex carbs.

[OverTheRainbow88]

I wouldn’t worry about being complainy, I would pick my battles and to be being offered healthy food is worth the complaint.

[BornOnThe4thJuly]

It seems bizarre that the lunches are so much better. Do they have a cook to do the lunches, then get the nursery nurses to do the tea or something.