Menus???

[lor]

Hi there,
Am I required to do a 4 week menu or is a week in advance enough - I really struggle with keeping to a monthly menu plan!!


Thanks in advance x x

[clareelizabeth1]

You dont have to give a menu at all. All you have to do is be able to tell anyone the allergens if asked.

[alex__17]

I kind of decide on week ahead but like kids to help in choosing so often decide on the day on some things.
I have a white board by the door that I write what they've had on so parents can see when they collect, I often cook things in slow cooker or in big batches and freeze.

[singingcactus]

I don't provide a menu either. I post up a pic of the meal on my facebook page so the parents can see it, but that is all. I keep a record of what we eat for allergens and health purposes but nothing in advance.
I do have a vague idea of what we will have, but I hate to be tied into anything.

[hectors house]

Children here just eat whatever we had for tea the night before, I do have some stock meals in the freezer from when I batch cook to give the children when we have had a meal that isn't suitable (too spicy or not suitable for re-heating), I also have batch cooked several vegetarian meals for a mindee who eats fish but not meat. I rarely know what we are having for tea until I look in the freezer to see what meat I have & in the veg rack/fridge to see what I can "ready, steady, cook" with the ingredients I have - don't think I could stick to a monthly (or weekly) menu. I only have part time children, no-one comes more than 3 days a week, so it's not a big issue if they have spag bol or cottage pie with me on one day and at home on another day.

[BallyH]

I don't do menus either. I use to but all my mindees have been coming here for some time now so I'm very aware of allergies/dislikes of foods etc. I have certain meats/veg dishes I want to cook each week so I'll do them with a 'twist' but usually decide each morning.

[bunyip]

I used to do menus but, like a lot of things 'in writing' it got silly and inflexible. They suit some people but not us here at Bunyip Towers.

I write in each child's diary what they eat.

I have a collated list of each child's allergies, likes and dislikes fastened inside a kitchen cabinet door for easy reference. The allergies list includes the different names used on ingredient lists for each allergen, plus emergency action and parent's contact number.

EHO and Ofsted inspectors have all been happy with this and the only time menus were mentioned was at my pre-reg inspection, where they just wanted an idea of what I thought represented a sample 'healthy eating plan' for a few meals.

[FloraDora]

I find it easier to do menus than think adhoc.
My online system has a quick menu template so it takes about 5 minutes to do. I don't provide evening meals so I know my parents check what we are having so they can plan their evening meals to be balanced. They can access this online it's put on a week in advance.

I have always planned my evening meals anyway, comes from part of my system when working in my other life pre childminding and its embedded in our household routine. The first person in glances at the list and sees what we are having and starts preparations - our lads, when they were at high school did this too and peeled veg etc.. in prep as they were usually home first.
I have always had a magnetic shopping list with a daily meal planner that stays on our fridge and DH puts on the children's lunches and snacks for the following week as he gets inspiration then we then decide what we are going to eat, depending on what we are doing after work. I do this a week in advance. This then gets translated into a shopping list and I go shopping.
I find that my weekly shopping bill is less if I pre plan my meals so have always done it this way, I now just add the children's meals on too.

[k1rstie]

No menus for me either, I will often have forgotten by tea time what I had planned to cook in the morning. My most famous disaster was a sausage casserole with a shepards pie type mashed potato topping!

What I do that Ofsted liked was take a copy of the schools menu from either one of the kids bags, or download from the schools website. I then try not to do for tea what they had for lunch at school.

[hectors house]

No menus for me either, I will often have forgotten by tea time what I had planned to cook in the morning. My most famous disaster was a sausage casserole with a shepards pie type mashed potato topping!

What I do that Ofsted liked was take a copy of the schools menu from either one of the kids bags, or download from the schools website. I then try not to do for tea what they had for lunch at school.

Doesn't sound like a disaster K1rstie - sounds like you invented a new meal! I had a parent whose child really loved spaghetti bolognese, so if I was planning something with a beef bolognese sauce I would just ask what they were having for tea - if she said spag bol, I would turn my meal into chilli con carne or a cottage pie. (same but different)

[k1rstie]

Doesn't sound like a disaster K1rstie - sounds like you invented a new meal! I had a parent whose child really loved spaghetti bolognese, so if I was planning something with a beef bolognese sauce I would just ask what they were having for tea - if she said spag bol, I would turn my meal into chilli con carne or a cottage pie. (same but different)

That's very charitable, especially as I had also cooked pasta to go with the casserole! The kids thought I was loosing it!

[natlou82]

I currently do a 4 week rolling menu. Generally I like it as I like to feel organised. Today is interesting since the menu says I am cooking pork steaks, my fridge suggests otherwise (no pork steaks in there!). There's definitely pros and cons however you decide to do it, but don't feel pressured to do a menu if it doesn't work for you :-)