Menus

[Tealady]

I provide all meals. I have a healthy eating policy. I state that if a child is with me for a full day they will be offered at least 5 of their 5 a day, plus recommeded daily dairy portions and a fully balanced menu. I have a sample menu. I advise parents of what I have offered their child and what and how much they actually ate.

I did do a rolling 3 week menu but it didn't always go to plan i.e ran out of time, forget to get stuff out of freezer, tomato based sauce affecting nappy rash etc. So I kind of gave up. I have an idea in my head as to what I will do for the week and the stuff in but I do like being able to go with the flow.

My DO came out on Tuesday and said that Ofsted would want to see a menu being properly planned and offered. (Now I know how DO's can be but our is lovely, helpful, normally spot on and was a CM herself for many years).

What is actually required / what will Ofsted actually want to see?

[nipper]

I wasn't pulled up by my inspector on the fact I don't do a menu...I have got a sample menu that is on my healthy eating policy that the parents have a copy of. I keep meaning to do a two week rolling menu of sorts but haven't got round to it. Parents know what I feed my little ones as I write it down on their daily diary...no complaints yet.

[funemnx]

I would have thought a sample menu of the type of food you offer would be enough

[sarah707]

It's a tricky one because some inspectors will want to see it while others will accept the way you do things.

I give parents a menu every term or so ... but we reserve the right to make changes so that children can be given seasonally available food or things that were on special offer.

So for example Monday is fish day but we don't say what type of fish or what we are going to do with it!

Tuesday is chicken day - it might be battered, breaded, baked, roast, stir fried with noodles etc.

Hth

[katickles]

I write down my menu as part of my daily planning document - sometimes its forward planned, other times its jotted down as the day goes on.

This has always been fine with ofsted & my DO when checked up on ")

[Milli147]

It's a tricky one because some inspectors will want to see it while others will accept the way you do things.

This seems to apply to everything, not just food!

[nokidshere]

I do a couple of sample menus for the parents for the type of food we generally have to eat. I can't stand having a menu that means we eat the same thing on a rolling basis - often I dont know what i am going to cook till we get home after school and see what i have got in.

[Smiley]

I also have never done a menu and don't intend to, like others have said I have a sample menu in parent information pack and I not in daily diaries what children have eaten. Quite often conversations with children on the way to and from playgroup nursery etc can be about what we are having for lunch and we all make suggestions. I suppose this could be viewed as menu planning often spontaneous and instigated by the children, who are all very much aware of health eating and food prep