At Monkey Puzzle Orpington we strongly believe that healthy, balanced nursery meals are essential for growth and development in under 5’s. This prompted us to consult with a paediatric nutritionist to formulate a menu that will help give your child the best start in life.
At Monkey Puzzle Orpington we strongly believe that a healthy, balanced diet is essential to your child’s growth and development. Every day is an opportunity for us to satisfy your child’s appetite with delicious and nutritious meals and snacks, designed with their needs in mind, with a menu planned to broaden their food experiences.
Our talented, experienced and dedicated catering team have created a menu with your child at the centre and will help give your child the best start in life. In consultation with children, parents and our wonderful team the menu provides a wide range of foods to spark children’s curiosity and meet their nutritional requirements.
We love to see children’s excitement when presented with a selection of colour, shape, texture, and taste for their mealtimes. It is a privilege to support you in developing their palate.
Our staff will support your child to keep healthy and hydrated enabling them to have their drink at hand for when they need one, and working regular drinks breaks into our daily routine too.
All dietary requirements and allergies are catered for in a sensitive way through our traffic light approach at mealtimes with highly trained and confident team members supporting your child and their needs. Unrefined sugar and additional fruit are used in our meals to ensure the nutritional balance.
We have a 4 week rolling menu that our fantastic chefs will research and develop throughout the year, reflecting the seasons, from warm, wintery home cooked food to the lighter and more summery dishes. The inclusive menus include a meat free Monday every week, Vegan options provided for each meal and a wide range of dishes from around the world.
We regularly seek feedback from parents and there have been many dishes (and recipes!) requested which helps to ensure there is a diverse menu which facilitates children’s tastes and positive relationship with food.
Example daily menu
Our menus have been devised to provide fresh balanced meals comprised of healthy and nutritious ingredients to all children at each meal and snack time.
Babies’ nutrition
At this age nutrition for your child and support for you go hand in hand as we work together to find your child’s feeding rhythm throughout their daytime with us and their night time and earlier mornings with you. We support both breastfeeding and formula feed with bottle feeds at nursery, delivered with comfort and care for their weaning and winding habits. When your babies are ready to experience solid food we will complement your efforts at home, working in partnership with you as your child experiences new tastes and textures.
Toddlers’ nutrition
Your toddler’s food experiences are so important and at this age group, they really develop and secure many of their preferences. At this age we balance the opportunity to try new foods with the regularity and reliability of foods they already know and love, continuing to praise them for their food adventures, and giving them an abundance of time to enjoy these.
We delight in helping to create good habits, supporting mealtimes with learning and understanding about how foods help them and their bodies, helping them to make great food choices for life.
Preschoolers’ nutrition
Fuelling some of the most energetic beings on the planet is fun, and we love the challenge! A healthy balanced diet is essential to your child’s growth and development and at this stage, making sure they have the nutrition to match their desire to master the world.
Your preschooler will continue to learn and understand how foods help them and their bodies, helping them to make great food choices for life. At this age, your child will be a master of self-service with them creating their own portions, so they can display their appetite and tell us about their choice, with our guidance of course!
We also have our Monkey Chef sessions where children enjoy displaying their creativity and culinary skills within a range of cooking experiences. The children love adding their chef jackets and hats and using a range of tools to hone their techniques!
