Help me compose a snotty letter to nursery about their crappy meals

[Moomin]

Can you tell I've got a cob on tonight?! So I need to channel my rage positively and do what I've been threatening for a while - write a letter to nursery about their meals.

The nursery itself is excellent and the staff are fab. Dd has been going there 2 days a week for a year and loves it. They employ a cook and all kids have a hot dinner as well as biscuits and a drink at morning break and toast and a drink mid-afternoon.

Dd (3) is veggie at present (until she decides otherwise) and has a great appetite and eats very well at home and at nursery. The dinners there are unimaginative but just about acceptable as she eats 'good' food at home (ie unprocessed, organic, varied, etc). She seems to eat a lot of veggie mince or quorn sausages when the other kids have chicken nuggets or fish fingers, so I'm not too bothered about this but they seem to eat a lot of chips. Baked beans seem to be their only veg; they never have fresh. Puddings are gross - either ready made jelly which I asked them to replace as dd seemed to be having it every mealtime and now they've proudly announced to me that she now has mousse instead! What's wrong with a piece of fresh fruit? And why do all the kids have to have biscuits mid-morning?

I know I probably seem like a food-nazi but the nursery have been particularly officious about a few things recently, and not very flexible so I've decided to put in writing my thoughts on their food, seeing as I'm paying for the bloody stuff. In the light of the govt's crackdown on school meals and childhood obesity, do you think I've got enough ammo in my rifle or am I being OTT? BTW when dd starts at her pre-school nursery next sept., she will not be allowed any sweets or chocs in her lunchbox, only fresh fruit and water is provided during lessons. Why can't nurseries be more conscientious?

Please excuse the ranting, but I really have got one on me tonight!

Am very admiring of the whole way you have handled this moomin, and I think you are right to care about what your children are learning about food. I also like your letter.

do you mind? - well too late! - there are a couple of phrases that to me read a bit strangely -

the outcome of a meeting will not result in the way the parents initially hope for

where we are not felt as if we are being unreasonable for caring about what our daughter eats.

HTH and I hope they take your completely reasonable points on board.

Hey, I don't think you've mentioned it, but do you have to give them a certain amount of notice? Are they going to try and get extra fees out of you?

Interested to read your thread. I too was recently shocked at the level of processed meals and chips that my dd has now started having at nursery since turning 1 yr. (I previously supplied 2 x homemade meals per day). I really wanted to understand what was meant by "chicken pie and mixed veg" on the menu and was shown the frozen processed pie from the freezer. I was so shocked I didn't even think about the veg, but I suspect these were frozen too. In all other respects I love the nursery, but I have started to question whether this is what I want for dd. I am confused, as I visited 8/9 nurseries before I selected this one and one of my list of standard questions was what the food was like and whether it was prepared on the premises. I feel certain I must have asked and can't recall being told it was all processed, frozen stuff. You have encouraged me to look into this further, with maybe a letter to the owner. I too thought maybe I was over-reacting and didn't want to rock the boat for dd.

thanks for pointing out other typos and silly phrasing - I showed the letter to dh and he saw them too so I've corrected them and also added a little paragraph about how the biscuits could be substituted for healthy snacks, just so the owner can't say I have no clue what I'm on about.

Yes sofia, we have to give 1 month's notice. Dd will carry on there for as long as needs be - if things become awkward we'll take her out at half term - bugger the money.

also just to mention I added this paragraph in between the 4th and 5th paragraph of the original letter:

"As you have given me no chance to air my views in person, I will do it in writing. If we do not question the poor and widely-accepted habits that many people have slipped into when feeding children, we will never tackle the growing problems associated with childhood obesity and other health problems. Nursery school is the ideal platform for teaching about healthy choices with children?s foods. I am not so naïve as to think that dd will never eat chips, or sweets or burgers, etc. I believe that she is entitled to eat any of these things if she chooses to do so, as long as it is in moderation. I do not want her to think that this sort of food needs to be part of her everyday diet, though. Substituting the children?s morning biscuits for fresh fruit, raisins or cheese and vegetable sticks, for instance, would go a long way to educating children about snacks. I think that entering into a dialogue with parents about what food they would want for their children in an ideal world would be a very positive move. However, it seems that this is something you are reluctant to do. Am I being cynical in thinking that money is the biggest reason behind not considering any changes?"

Am sending it tomorrow.

You go girl!! Just a little comment on grammar...

"Nursery school is the ideal platform for teaching about healthy choices with children?s foods." this sentence doesn't quite work for me...should it be..."choices in"...?

And this sentence : "Substituting the children?s morning biscuits for fresh fruit, raisins or cheese..." makes it sound like they are already having fresh fruit and you are suggesting biscuits instead. Maybe it should be "Replacing the children's..." or "Substituting fresh fruit for the children's morning...."

gosh it's a good job i don't ever need to use proper grammar in my job isn't it - i'd be crap
Ta Sofia xxx

Hey, Moomin - just seen this thread and think you handled this situation brilliantly. Have you had a response to your letter?

HM xxx

sorry only just saw your post hunkerminker (love your name!)

yes, I've been meaning to update this thread for a week or so but haven't had time. We had a letter from the nursery owner a few days after she must have received ours and it just confirmed a few things.

Firstly, it was appallingly-written... I don't know why I agonised so much about every single phrase and word in mine - hers was barely readable! loads of typos; sentences didn't make sense, etc. The she tried to blame it all on the manageress, saying that she hadn't mentioned at all to the owner about the quality of the food, which is a LIE. and to add insult to injury the bloody woman hadn't even signed it herself - it was pp'd!!!! I think that just says it all.

I have every intention of writing a very short and blunt letter to this effect as soon as I can - this will probably spur me on whilst i remember.

Sooo glad dd starts at her new nursery next week. Have also since found out that the manageress is leaving and taking 3 of their best staff with her to start up her own nursery! Looks like what goes around has just come around for mrs chicken nugget! and she's got ofsted in a week or so.... I just feel sorry for the staff as they're so lovely. Dh and I have made an effort to tell them so lots in the last 2 weeks, since all this came out and we handed dd's notice in.

or even 'hunkermunker' !!

Glad to hear that nursery owner is getting a bit of a shock staffing-wise. Sorry she's been so shit that you had all the hassle of moving DD, but it does sound like the new nursery is lovely so I'm sure she'll be really happy.

Would be interesting to read the Ofsted report! Hope she doesn't make out they're great just for Ofsted

I rather like being known as Hunkermumnker - might change it by deed poll