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Delicious, Nutritious Home-Cooked Meals

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At Thorney Island Nursery, we believe that healthy eating plays an important role in every child's growth, development and wellbeing. Our delicious, nutritious meals are freshly prepared from scratch each day in our nursery kitchen by our talented Nursery Chef, Sam, and Kitchen Assistant, Sue.

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Using fresh, quality ingredients, they create a varied, balanced menu that introduces children to a wide range of flavours, textures and cuisines while ensuring every meal is both wholesome and enjoyable. From hearty lunches to tasty desserts, every meal is carefully planned to support healthy eating habits and meet children's nutritional needs.

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Our home-cooked meals are excellent value at just £3.21 per meal, including dessert, giving children a nutritious dining experience that they look forward to every day. We also cater for individual dietary requirements, allergies and cultural preferences, ensuring every child can enjoy safe, delicious food in a welcoming environment.

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For families who prefer, we also offer the option for children to bring a healthy packed lunch from home. Whether enjoying one of our freshly prepared meals or a packed lunch, we encourage positive mealtime experiences where children can develop healthy eating habits, build independence and enjoy eating together with their friends.

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Healthy Snacks & Drinks

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Throughout the day, children are offered a selection of healthy snacks to keep their energy levels up and encourage positive eating habits. Fresh fruit and other nutritious snack options are available, giving children the opportunity to explore a variety of healthy foods in a relaxed and social environment.

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Children have access to fresh drinking water at all times, helping them to stay hydrated throughout the day. Milk is also provided at snack times for eligible children as part of the Nursery Milk Scheme.

Snack and mealtimes are valued as important learning opportunities, where children are encouraged to develop their independence by serving themselves where appropriate, practising good table manners, making healthy choices and enjoying conversations with their friends and nursery staff. These shared experiences help to build confidence, social skills and a lifelong positive relationship with food.

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​Each morning at snack time, children are offered a choice of milk or water to drink, along with a colourful selection of fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, grapes, kiwi, melon and strawberries which encourages the children to explore new tastes and textures of food. In addition, a daily extra snack is provided, which may include breadsticks, crackers, or similar depending on what delicious options Sam or Sue has planned for the day. The weekly snack fee is £1.20 (optional or provide own).

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Meals in the baby room

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In the baby room, meal times support the development of self-feeding skills. Babies are encouraged to use a spoon, gradually progressing to using a knife and fork and drinking independently from a cup. We serve lunch from 11.45am. Highchairs are available for our youngest children, while those ready for more independence sit in supported chairs at low-level tables. Water is provided in Sippy cups or regular cups depending on each child's ability.

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Staff also provide bottle-feeding and sterilisation for babies bottles for under one year olds, ensuring all children's needs are met with care and attention.

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Preschool Dining

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In our preschool, lunch is served in two sittings, allowing every child the opportunity to enjoy their meal in our dining area. Children are encouraged to find their named place, sit down calmly and wait for their food while sipping on water.

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After the meal, they are supported in cleaning their hands and faces with a wipe, pushing in their chairs, and encouraged to go back in to the preschool main area. This helps with building independence and good habits.

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In Our Garden​

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To encourage children to be more aware of fruit and vegetables we have started to grow a small selection of plants, which hopefully we will harvest during the summer. We are currently growing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers,  runner beans, broad beans,  peas, carrots and strawberries and also a selection of flowers. The children will be able to look after these plants, watch them grow and eventually taste the fruit and vegetables.​