To be pissed 3YO had beans on toast for lunch

[Zachary143]

Annoyed that I pay £2.50 for lunch for LO.

I initially wanted LO to have packed lunch when starting nursery full time however was told that this was not an option and that children had to have nursery lunch however I was reassured that it would all be fresh, wholesome and home cooked.

In the past LO has been given thing like packet noodles and sweetcorn. Pudding is usually angel delight or fruit. Also when it's a child birthday the cake is given as pudding so their not really having pudding that was part of the paid for meal.

The cheap lunches are pissing me off, I can provide him with better quality packed lunches and it'll cost me less.

[Mumoblue]

I also wondered about the facilities.
Where I used to work we didn’t have any staff to cook the dinner, so we had to do it ourselves. Often in a slow cooker through the day but sometimes just quickly while we were watching the kids (open plan kitchen with a baby gate). Some of the meals were quick and cheap because my boss was an awful cheapskate who I had to argue with to replace even a packet of tissue paper.
Still, that came out of the flat fee for the day so I’m surprised you’re paying on top for lunch.

[Bluntness100]

Some peoooe always get confused about this, it’s not the cost of the food, it’s the cost of someone shopping for it, unloading it, storing it, preparing it, serving it, clearing up after, washing thr dishes.

[DenisetheMenace]

By packet noodles, do you mean those awful blocks that are made up with hot water?
No small child should be eating those, they’re loaded with salt apart from anything else.

No issue with beans on toast, with a bit of fruit and glass of milk but the noodles are worth a complaint.

[Parker231]

The £2.50 cost is likely to be for the lunch and the staffing costs for lunchtime. You are getting a good deal.

[GiveMeTulipsfromAmsterdam]

What did the nursery say when you yd them you were 'pissed ' with them about the lunches @Zachary143

[Ihopeyourcakeisshit]

Like the others, I could cope with the beans on toast with fruit/yog every now and again, but I'd see my arse with packet noodles and Angel delight.

[johnworf]

The nursery cannot enforce paying for lunches if your child is receiving 30 hours funding. They have to give you the option of either having their meals or bringing a packed lunch.

If you are not happy with the meals they are providing you need to challenge them and tell them you will be bringing a packed lunch in future.

I am a childminder and always give my parents the option.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55812645

[Plumbear2]

How many meals/snacks does your child get over the course of the day? After working in a nursery I can assure you they get more food than just lunch. £2.50 sounds more than reasonable when you factor in paying cook etc.

[SofiaAmes]

I'm surprised that anyone thinks that baked beans on toast is a nutritious meal. If it's out of a can, it has very high levels of sugar and salt and saturated fats. I supposed if it was actually home made and not out of a can and the bread was whole grain, freshly made and not the white processed crap that's normally served, then maybe it could be considered nutritious. And packet noodles are totally inappropriate for a young child. They are full of salt and msg.

[Jellybabiesforbreakfast]

Beans on toast is fine as a weekly item to balance out the cost of the rest of the lunches. Yoghurt or fruit should be provided as well. This is one of my DS's favourite meals and I give him carrot sticks alongside it to add another veggie and sprinkle some grated cheese on top for extra protein.

It really depends on what the rest of the lunches are like. If they're serving things like stir fry, cottage pie, omelettes, pasta dishes, roast meals, salads and couscous, then I think it's fine to have a slightly cheaper lunch some days (rotating) to balance the cost of the more expensive meals. If it's all beans on toast, instant noodles (ugh!!!), fish fingers, cheese sandwiches, then I would be quite cross. And the puddings sound unacceptable. Nursery puddings for children should be fruit/yoghurt, with the occasional ice-cream or low sugar cake as a treat. Healthy eating habits start in childhood.

[DianaT1969]

I don't think it's fair to judge the cost on ingredients alone. If they pay someone for 3 hours per day to buy/order the food in, prepare it and clean up afterwards, that's around £21 in minimum wage + Employers NI and pension contribution. You didn't say if there was a dessert/fruit or milk included.

[InterestRateUpOrDown]

That sounds really bad to be honest. I have no idea on the cost of meals for our nursery, but will see that when he reaches three and we get 30 hours free and have to pay for it. Either way all children eat really well! A lot of vegetarian meals, home made and the nursery really pride themselves on it. I think they do a lot of vegetarian meals as it’s cheaper and healthier - it looks delicious! They do bolognaise, chilli or fish pie for example too. Never would they be given beans on toast as a main meal, but have had that for their 3pm snack.

[arethereanyleftatall]

So, you're paying £2.50 for 6 hours childcare plus beans on toast? Thinking of it that way, it's a good deal.

[Incywincyspinsters]

@SofiaAmes

I'm surprised that anyone thinks that baked beans on toast is a nutritious meal. If it's out of a can, it has very high levels of sugar and salt and saturated fats. I supposed if it was actually home made and not out of a can and the bread was whole grain, freshly made and not the white processed crap that's normally served, then maybe it could be considered nutritious. And packet noodles are totally inappropriate for a young child. They are full of salt and msg.

You’re very mistaken There’s no saturated fat in beans. There’s a very low level of unsaturated fat (the good one). It’s a pulse in a sauce so it’s carbohydrate mainly. There is some salt and sugar in the tomato sauce.

I’m imagining they serve plain super noodles. Not a flavoured one. Therefore it’s basically just a carb again. Likely no MSG and a very small amount of salt in the noodle itself.

[Incywincyspinsters]

Also kids shouldn’t always have wholegrains. If they do it should be small amounts. Their dietary requirements are different and too much fibre can cause problems.

[Incywincyspinsters]

All that being said, it sounds like shite food and I’m not defending it, just correcting some incorrect nutritional info up thread.

[OverTheRainbow88]

Ours do 2 meals a day, one tend to be beans on toast or something like that and the other a proper ‘home cooked’ meal, like curry, fish stew, tacos etc

[Iamsodonewith2020]

Are your children funded? Lots of nurseries get paid by the government less than they charge per day. Eg normal rate £4ph but they only get £3.60 ph for funded child, So funded children actually costs them money. They get round this by charging for lunch and trips out which helps them make up the shortfall.

[FreedomFromLockdown]

Most of the £2.50 is paying the person who prepares and serves the food. You can’t expect to get the same meal you would serve at home for the same cost.
BoT is perfectly fine but it sounds like other parts of the meal are not sufficiently nutritionally dense.
At the end of the day they are not going to change, so you have to decide if this is the place you want to send your child. Believe me when they go to high school the food is far, far worse ( eg sausage roll and doughnut).
You just need to provide healthy meals at home and teach a healthy attitude towards food generally.

[supermoonrising]

Why everybody suggesting yoghurt. Most of the “fruit” stuff sold to kids has a good couple of teaspoons of added sugar. So a meal of half a can of normal baked beans baked beans plus a typical fruit yoghurt often marketed as “low fat”) is probably about 70-80% of a daily recommenced sugar content for children.

[Germolenequeen]

Low sugar baked beans are much healthier than most yoghurts tbf 🤷‍♀️

[Cam2020]

This, does sound a bit shit. Beans on toast might be something for a light tea at my daughter's nursery, lunch would be the main meal with protein and vegetables and carbs. There's no separate fee for the food either, it's included.

[WeAreAllCompletelyFine]

Private nursery = wouldn't be happy

School nursery = would be understanding

I'm going to have beans on toast for lunch now. With a load of cheese melted on.

[Cam2020]

Why everybody suggesting yoghurt. Most of the “fruit” stuff sold to kids has a good couple of teaspoons of added sugar.

True, but other nurseries provide Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit (as I have always done at home). Not all yoghurt is heavily processed crap.

[DoLallyTapMum]

As you’ve said it’s really not £2.50 for the lunch it’s to cover the loss for funded hours. The government don’t give anywhere near enough for this and so childcare providers have to make up the shortfall by charging for extras. I have a childminder and already discussed how she will be £50p an hour short on funded hours and I will be making up the difference. It’s around £12 a week loss so the £2.50 for lunch is mostly covering that for the nursery.