Food for Life Soil Association
Food & Nutrition at Toad Hall Nursery
We believe that nutritious meals play a critical role in the development and growth of children.
So, every Toad Hall Nursery has its very own onsite Chef and kitchen team who prepare and cook meals each day for the children using fresh and high quality ingredients. Our commitment is not to just provide nutritious meals, but a culinary journey that supports the knowledge and wellbeing of your little ones.
All our meals, snacks and drinks are included in our fees.
Our menus
To ensure the children are served balanced meals, we have developed healthy eating menus and recipes that specifically cater for ages 0-5 years. These carefully crafted menus are approved by our Food for Life Action for Children accredited nutritionist to ensure they meet the highest standards.
Our menus take into consideration different cultural backgrounds and cater for different diets and specific dietary requirements.
Our nurseries are currently enjoying our Summer Menu — perfect for the longer, warmer days. It features a variety of lighter meals, including dishes like Jerk Chicken and Pesto Puff Pinwheels, along with refreshing puddings such as Fruit Kebabs and Eton Mess.
Where our ingredients come from
To maintain quality, we source all our food from one trusted supplier. Creed ensures that the ingredients we use are sustainably sourced and Red Tractor meat certified, covering the standards for animal welfare together with the safety, traceability, and environmental impacts.
Here are just a few of Creed's accreditations:
Rainforest Alliance Certified
RSPCA Assured
Red Tractor Certified Standards
Certified Sustainable Seafood MSC
Learning about food
We take a 360-degree approach to food and nutrition at our nurseries, so as well as providing freshly prepared meals, we also teach the children all about nutrition and the importance of healthy eating. Through regular cooking and growing activities, our children have fun learning all about where food comes from, its benefits, and how to make it into a delicious dish.
Pork Ragu with crushed new potatoes and broccoli
Serves 5
A wholesome, balanced meal full of goodness to help our little ones grow strong and stay energised all day long.
Ingredients
- Minced Pork - 300g
- Carrot Large - 1
- Celery Stick - 1 diced
- Diced onions - 1 whole
- Crushed garlic- 1 clove
- Tinned tomatoes - 800g
- Tomato Puree - 1tbs
- Thyme - 2 tsp
- Potatoes - 800 g
- Dairy free spread - 30g
- Chives - 1 tbs
- Broccoli - 200g
Method
1. Heat a pan with oil, add pork mince and brown.
2. Remove from heat and drain.
3. Dice the onions and mince the garlic.
4. Heat a pan with oil and fry the onions, carrots, celery and garlic until soft and then add the mixed herbs.
5. Return the browned mince back to the pan and mix.
6. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and approximately a quarter tin of water (from the tinned tomatoes).
7. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for approximately 45 minutes.
8. In the meantime, cook the potatoes until soft enough to pierce with a knife. Drain and mix in the spread and chives to melt. Crush before serving
9. Boil the Broccoli
10. To finish the ragu, mix cornflour with some water and stir into the ragu to thicken it. Allow to simmer for a further 10 minutes.
