Cafe food and drink for kids

[ultramarine]

I'm starting a cafe at a local historic building.

Can you guys give me any pointers on what you like to give your children to eat when you're on a day out (it's a long time since my kids were small).

It's going to be a very simple place: local bread for sandwiches, home made cakes, scones - but we'll have to buy in crisps etc too, I think.

Any ideas very gratefully received!

We normally take sandwiches for the children with us if going out for the day, but if I knew I could get marmite sandwiches on nice brown bread, I would buy them instead.

simple sandwiches maybe made to order in case of fussy kids (mine don't like mustard, mayo etc so buying sandwiches out can be hard) erm......half size cake for kids (mine never eat a whole slice)

if you do any hot food i'd say just don't have a menu full of x and chips hate giving my kids chips every time we're out somewhere like that!

Oh and good luck!

Sandwiches that are quite plain, but naice: ham or cheese on white or brown. No lettuce (that's my fussy daughter). Sorry, my son is much more adventurous but she has always been difficult.

But I like more exciting combinations myself.

Cakes not too huge in portion, for lots of reasons. I would never buy myself a huge piece of cake but might be tempted by something small.

Easy snacky things like beans on toast, cheese on toast, egg on toast, sandwiched, baked potatoes with fillings, salad, soup are all good. Our cafe does full and half portions of all of the above (so adult scrambled egg is 3/4 eggs on two slices for about £3.50, children's is 2 eggs on one slice for £1.75), so you dont have to order far too much.

pasta with a couple of sauces - cheese or tomato (mine always liked a smooth sauce as they didn't like the lumps of tomato), toast with a choice of spreads, jam/peanut butter/honey, garlic bread, bread sticks/pitta bread and dips. raisins, dried fruits, jelly. mini home made pizzas are good and only take a couple of minutes if you pre- prepare the dough and just offer a couple of choices - plain cheese or ham or pepperoni.

I would also suggest if you are doing meals to offer a couple of different sizes one for little ones and one for older kids. sometimes you get too much for a 3 year old but not enough for a 10 year old.

Our guys (2 and 4) opted for soup last time we had lunch out.

Unlike Abra1d I'd buy a big bit of cake and share it with them!

Pitta bread with simple filling for children houmous/ ham/ philadelphia etc.. Less mess with little fingers ( find 1 year old will open sandwiches and just eat filling)

Mini muffins

Fresh orange/ apple for children as opposed to sugary pop up lids or every from concentrate

Boiled egg and soldiers, fishfinger sandwiches, beans on toast, small toasted sandwiches, half sized simple cakes, wraps, houmous pitta bread and crudities, pasta and plain sauce.

Milkshakes (homemade) and fresh juice, elderflower also goes well.

Plain sandwiches - ham, cheese, jam are all faves in our house. Or how about Nutella, peanut butter or houmous? A few carrot sticks on the side or crisps but definately no salad.

How about dippers? Breadsticks & crudite with a small pot of houmous or cream cheese?

I would love Small Kid & Big Kid portions as my DCs (10 & 7) have very small appetites so there's often a lot of wasted food even with a child meal.

Hot food suggestions - pasta & tomato sauce, pasta bake, fishfinger butties, half a baked potato with toppings, beans on toast etc. Or how about just small portions of adult hot meal choices?

Cheese is many forms is loved by my 2 year old.

Omelettes and scrambled egg is a favourite here.

Those little lunch boxes are good - keeps kids entertained rifling through them. A buttie, piece of fruit, juice, biscuit and a yoghurt etc.

DD will always go for a nice bowl of home made soup and nice bread.

Please remember vegetarians and mothers looking for lower fat options, so soups without lots of oil or cream.

Gingerbread men
Babychinno or small hot chocolate

I love the little lunch boxes. Small sandwich, some fruit etc, you could put in a picture and those cheap crayons? I love the places that do that as it keeps DS entertained.

Toasties

Stuff on toast

Jacket potatoes

We go to a place that does kids wraps which is a plate with salad bits, chicken, cheese and a few small wraps, DS loves this.

Fairy cakes.

Little lunchboxes is a great idea. Simple sandwich or wrap or pizza slice, piece of flapjack or fairy cake, add a banana and choice of drink and my toddler would be set.

Lunch boxes are great as long as they are not too expensive. You don't need to do the box - bowls of stuff and say 5 items for £3...

Main meals in tiny sizes - our local Italian offers everything in adult, child and toddler portions. Mushroom risotto a big hit with picky 3yo.

"Smorgasbord" type ready plated kids lunchbof stuff like carrot sticks, cheese cubes, strawberries, apple slices, cucumber, olives, slices of ham, tortilla chip etc One of the local soft play places does this and DS loves it. He often eats like this at home.

1/2 sandwiches with plain filling great; small pieces of fruit or fruit salad w/o whole grapes; apple juice; squeezy fruit pouches; yoghurts; cheese portions plus crackers good too. For treats plain carrot, banana, beetroot and wholemeal cakes weigh less heavy on my conscience than e.g.chocolate muffins (but sure they would be popular!). Little bags/boxes of dried fruit good too (no nuts obv).

I'd second all of the above, particularly the point about crayons. I would also recommend getting a few high chairs. Ikea's bog standard Antilop one is brilliant - the tray comes off completely and the whole thing can go through the dishwasher. Nothing worse than manky high chairs with fabric seats with goodness-knows-what encrusted onto them.

No crayons please! We're overrun with packs of crayons and I always carry a pack and small notebook in my bag anyway.

I like places that do a "5 items for £x" kind of deal, so you can chose a sandwich, crisps, fruit, biscuit, drink etc in combinations that work for you.

On a day out, I'd be happy if DS ate a decent sandwich, bit of fruit and some nice cake.

Just had a thought, instead of handing out crayons, could you have a few pots of coloured pencils for kids to use? Just keep them sharpened please!

Things local cafes do we like:

Bag of old toys like action men or barbies. Much more useful than crayons for entertaining my toddler for five minutes.

Offering a small cup of juice topped up with tap water for half price.

Whilst you are at IKEA buying the Antilops get loads of their brightly coloured plastic plates, knifes forks and spoons too.

Mini-cakes. DD likes to choose, cannot eat a whole slice of cake and I rarely eat cake myself so if she has an adult portion it does unfinished.

DD will still try most things and I'd prefer to give her something a bit different than a plain ham sandwich on a children's menu. But she can't manage a whole adult sandwich or salad yet so half portions would be nice if feasible. Or offering soup either by the cup or the bowl.

A sign saying freshly made today, at our local arts centre some cakes are left unsold for two /three days.... Yuk!!!!! You don't know how old the stuff is you're buying !!!!! Yuk

Pret do the best stuff for children IMO.

Pots of fruit = tick
Small baguettes with simple fillings = tick
Popcorn = tick

Like the idea of half slices of cake.

the best place we have locally is a little farm cafe and their kids menu is fairly simple. they do sandwiches - made to order on home made chunky bread (white or brown - toasted or fresh) - fillings: egg mayo, tuna mayo, cheese or ham. They serve them with a couple of crisps on the side. They do a kids soup with a slice of chunky bread, they do small baked potatoes with cheese or tuna or beans, they do mince & tatties, macaroni cheese with toast and just plain toast with butter/jam or honey. For afters there are cakes and I am sure they do half portions or mini scones with jam/butter. For drinks, apple or orange or pineapple fruit juice, milk shakes or hot chocolate, or plain milk or water. They don't do chips at all or fizzy juices. All local produce, the adult menu is similar but with larger portions and salad with the sandwiches instead of crisps and they usually have a couple of daily specials on the board too.