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Nursery food

Through carefully curated, termly menus, we offer balanced meals and snacks to support a child’s developmental needs. Young minds and bodies are nourished with sustainably-sourced and seasonal ingredients to bring children variation and taste.

All our nurseries have on-site chefs who prepare and cook fresh meals every day, aligning with the Early Years Guidelines, endorsed by the Department for Education and Public Health England.

We serve children breakfast, a two-course lunch and dinner, plus morning and afternoon snacks - even our families are known to ask for seconds!

We work alongside families to support them with alternatives for allergies, intolerances, and cultural preferences.

Termly menu: Under 2s

To support children on their weaning journey, we’ve curated a special menu for young tastebuds.

View menu

Termly menu: Over 2s

Explore our sample menu for the current term, tailored to meet the unique nutritional needs of young minds and bodies.

View menu

Fresh food, prepared at the nursery

Every meal is wholesome, nutritionally rich, and prepared on-site by our very own chefs. We only cook with fresh and natural ingredients, and these are delivered on a daily and weekly basis.

To ensure your child receives the very best, our recipes do not contain processed foods and we operate nut-free.

Balanced nutrition

Our menus are crafted to support healthy growth while introducing a wide range of foods to offer both texture and taste.

Our in-house food team analyses the nutritional composition of every recipe to meet government guidelines – because we want your child’s meals to be both delicious and nutritious!

Allergies and cultural preferences

Working closely with families, we aim to ensure every child feels included at mealtimes. As soon as you enrol at N, your child’s allergy information is given to our chefs and recorded on your child’s N app profile. We also try to accommodate cultural preferences and offer vegan and vegetarian options.

Choosing sustainability

We’ve made the decision at N not to serve red meat to support both children’s health and environmental sustainability. Instead, we offer a variety of nutrient-rich plant-based options, white meat and fish.

Mealtime routine

We strive to make mealtimes enjoyable and developmental, supporting children to learn healthy eating habits and develop positive attitudes towards food. Mealtimes are also a wonderful opportunity to nurture language development and our chatterboxes are a great tool for encouraging this, alongside using makaton to signal manners and the start and end times.

 

For our older children, to foster independence, confidence and develop skills necessary for school readiness, the children use child-sized utensils, plates and bowls. They are encouraged and supported while they eat on their own, and they love participating in the clean-up!

 

Food safety

Safety is at the centre of everything we do. Children are always supervised during mealtimes, and all team members involved in mealtimes have completed rigorous Food Hygiene training.

 

At N, we follow the Voluntary Food and Drink Guidelines for Early Years Settings in England to ensure we are supporting children to establish good food habits.

 

We work closely with families to accommodate any allergies and intolerances, with regular mealtime updates via the N app.

 

For an overview of our safety measures, take a look at our Safety page.

 

N app

Designed to foster communication and keep you in the loop, our N app contains essential information about your child and their days at N. You’ll get regular updates about their meals, and can rest assured knowing any allergies and intolerances are recorded on your child’s N app profile.

Weaning readiness

At around six months, babies are learning lots of new cognitive, emotional and physical skills. With this new found curiosity and movement, it is the ideal time to introduce the concept of solid foods to build on these skills.

 

Approaches to weaning

Many families adopt a weaning method that best suits both their baby’s preferences and needs, and their lifestyle. Whether you choose baby-led weaning, spoon-fed weaning or a combination approach, we are happy to follow your lead from home and support you every step of the way.

 

N’s weaning menu

Weaning is an exciting time of growth and exploration. We’ve custom-designed a weaning menu to help introduce new flavours and textures while nourishing your child. Flip through our N guide to weaning and dive into this new chapter.

Everything you need to know

  • How do I balance milk feeds and introduce solid foods during the weaning process?

    Initially, your baby will only need a small amount of food alongside their usual milk feed as they will still receive the majority of their energy and nutrients from breast milk or infant formula. There’s no need to worry about the quantity they eat at this stage; the most important focus is helping them explore new tastes and textures. It’s all about letting them learn how to move solid foods around their mouths and swallow them effectively.

    It’s also helpful to be aware of certain foods to avoid. For instance, refraining from adding sugar or salt to your baby’s food or cooking water is recommended. It’s important to remember that salty foods are not suitable for babies as they can be hard on their kidneys, and sugar may lead to tooth decay.

  • Is there a specific order to introduce allergens, and how should they be repeated to identify a reaction?

    When introducing solid foods to your baby around six months old, it’s important to be mindful of foods that can trigger allergies. To help spot any reactions, introduce these foods one at a time and in small amounts.

    If your baby has an existing allergy, eczema, or if your family has a history of allergies, asthma, or hay fever, take extra care and speak with your GP or health visitor before introducing new foods.

    The common allergens, including the 14 main allergens parents can look to introduce, include:

    • Dairy (found in cow’s milk, cheese, yoghurt)
    • Eggs
    • Gluten-containing foods (such as wheat, barley, rye)
    • Tree Nuts (such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, and Brazil nuts)
    • Peanuts (can be served as nut butter or finely ground)
    • Legumes (such as beans, lentils & peas)
    • Seeds (especially sesame – serve finely ground)
    • Soy (such as tofu, edamame beans, soy sauce, and some pre-made infant foods)
    • Lupin (found in some types of flours)
    • Fish (do not serve raw or lightly cooked)
    • Crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobster)
    • Molluscs (such as mussels and oysters)
    • Celery (found in stocks and sauces)
    • Mustard (found in spice blends)
    • Sulphur dioxide and Sulphites (found in some dried fruits & juices)

    These foods can be introduced as part of your baby’s diet just like any other food. If tolerated, keeping them in their diet regularly may help reduce the risk of developing allergies.

    The NHS states that research shows delaying the introduction of peanuts and eggs beyond 6 to 12 months may actually increase the risk of allergies. So, once introduced and well tolerated, continue to include these foods in their meals.

    While some children may outgrow allergies to milk or eggs, others may have lifelong allergies. Always check food labels carefully and avoid foods if you’re unsure whether they contain an allergen.

  • What textures and types of foods are appropriate at each stage of weaning?

    6+ months – Start with vegetables, fruits and iron-rich foods as smooth purees or soft finger foods such as broccoli, sweet potato, carrots, peas, banana, steamed apples, berries, or pears.
    7-9 months – Introduce soft proteins and dairy products as mashed, lumpy foods or finger foods such as soft, flaky fish, cooked chicken, eggs, lentils, beans and pulses, cheese, and full-fat yoghurt.
    10-12 months – Offer family meals in small, chopped portions.

  • What should I do if my baby refuses certain foods or shows picky eating tendencies?

    The NHS have some great recommendations, including:

    • Give your child the same food as the rest of the family, but remember not to add salt to your child’s food. Check the food labels of any food product you use to make family meals.
    • The best way for your child to learn to eat and enjoy new foods is to copy you. Try to eat with them as often as you can.
    • Give small portions and praise your child for eating, even if they only eat a little.
    • If your child rejects the food, do not force them to eat it. Just take the food away without saying anything. Try to stay calm, even if it’s very frustrating. Try the food again another time.
    • Do not leave meals until your child is too hungry or tired to eat.
    • Your child may be a slow eater, so be patient.
    • Do not give your child too many snacks between meals – 2 healthy snacks a day is plenty.
    • Do not use food as a reward.
    • Make mealtimes enjoyable and not just about eating. Sit down and chat about other things.
    • Changing how you serve food may make it more appealing. For example, your child might refuse cooked carrots but enjoy raw grated carrots.

  • How do I handle mealtime mess and keep it a positive experience?

    Our Education Mealtimes article can help support you in having good conversations with families about our mealtime routine.

  • When should I start weaning?

    Signs your baby may be ready to start weaning.

    • Stay in a sitting position, holding their head steady
    • Coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at their food, pick it up and put it in their mouth
    • Swallow food (rather than spit it back out)

    Behaviours that can be mistaken for signs of being ready.

    • Chewing fists
    • Wanting extra milk feeds
    • Waking up in the night (more than usual)

    This fist-chewing, wanting extra feeds and waking up at night are normal baby behaviours and not necessarily a sign of hunger or being ready to start solid food.

    *For babies born prematurely, ask families to work with their Health Visitor or GP for advice on when to start weaning.

  • How do I introduce texture, and how long can weaning take?

    As your baby starts their weaning journey from around 6 months, it’s important to introduce new textures gradually. Moving from puréed to mashed, chopped, or finger foods helps them develop chewing skills and learn to safely move solid food around their mouth.

    Some babies take to textured foods straight away, while others need more time to adjust. If your child prefers smoother foods at first, that’s okay; just keep offering a variety of textures, and they’ll get there at their own pace.

  • How does N incorporate weaning in the baby rooms?

    Many families adopt a weaning method that best suits both their baby’s preferences and needs, and their lifestyle.

    The two most commonly used methods in weaning are baby-led and spoon-fed. Both encourage the exploration of taste and texture while acquiring new fine and gross motor skills. Some families find a combination of baby-led and spoonfed work well, while others prefer to stick to one. What matters most is that a baby receives the diet it needs. Work with families to support what is currently being introduced at home.

    We also have a weaning menu, which is an excellent way to introduce children to some of the tastes of our core menu whilst minimising some of the main allergens.