Healthy eating
Healthy eating is not just about what we put on the plate. It is about educating the children and giving them the knowledge and independence to make healthy choices that will leave them in good stead for the future.
Many of the children at Snapdragons eat up to ten meals at nursery a week, making this the majority of their weekly nutritional intake. For us, this is a huge responsibility and we want to ensure that everything the children eat is of the best quality, the menus are balanced and the children enjoy their food.
We felt so passionately about this that we have teamed up with the Soil Association and the Children's Food Trust, two highly prestigious and influential partners. By achieving this recognition we are guaranteeing that the food we serve your children is locally sourced, high quality, freshly prepared and nutritionally balanced.
We are lucky to have talented and passionate people working with us to create these fantastic meals for the children. Our team of chefs love coming up with new ways to excite the children with food and even enjoy getting out into the nursery to cook with them - a messy job indeed.
We have a huge responsibility to make sure the food served is of the best quality
Our menus
Take a look at our latest menus for the season to see some of the incredible dishes that your children will be able to enjoy at Snapdragons.
Our recipes
At Snapdragons Nursery, we take pride in the healthy recipes we prepare in-house for the children. Our goal is to instill a love for different foods and diversity from a young age. Using fresh ingredients, our dedicated team creates nutritious meals that not only nourish the children's bodies but also expand their palates. By offering a variety of dishes, we aim to promote a positive relationship with food and teach the importance of eating a balanced diet.
Local suppliers
Many of us are concerned about our food and the global food industry. Our existing patterns of food production are not fit for a low-carbon, resource constrained future. And yet, because of the globalisation of our food supplies in recent years, it is not always easy to buy locally produced food on the high-street. Wholesome, nutritious food is essential for our health and wellbeing.
Buying local organic food from a local producer can be a life-affirming experience, and the benefits of local food are clear:
It's good for the environment - less road and air transport, less packaging, less pollution, less waste.
It’s good for your local economy - it keeps money in your local area, creating jobs and businesses locally and giving farmers a bigger cut of the price-tag you pay.
It’s good for your community - making links between people in urban areas and the countryside.
It’s good for your health - fresher food, with improved nutrient levels, containing fewer contaminants.
As a result, Snapdragons make every effort to source as many ingredients as possible from local farms and suppliers, working with provider Lovejoys to deliver local meat, vegetable and dairy goods across our settings.
Our awards
In 2012 we were awarded the Nursery World award for Best Nursery Food, highlighting our fantastic progress in the area. We were also finalists for Nursery Chef of the Year at the Nursery Management Today awards. We then went on to win the Nursery Food award again in 2014, followed swiftly by taking home the Nursery Chef of the Year later that year! We hope for even more accolades in the future!
Our menus have all been accredited by two major industry-standard schemes. The Soil Association awarded us their highest standard mark - gold - in a record-breaking time. This assures that we utilise a percentage of organic ingredients, that our meat is farm-assured and that our produce is local. It also ensures that:
Our meat and dairy products come from farms with the highest standards of animal welfare.
Our food is fresh, local, and comes from farms with high standards of animal welfare.
We’re supporting wildlife by serving organic food – up to 50% more insects, birds and animals live on organic farms.
At least half of our ingredients come from local businesses.
Serving local food means we are supporting local businesses.
Having at least one meat-free day each week has cut our carbon emissions by 25%.
Your feedback
We would love to hear your feedback on our menus and our healthy eating campaign as a whole. Simply jot down your notes here and they'll fly straight to us.