For those of you who provide meals...

When you have prospective parents visit you, how do you discuss food? I always used to have a sample weekly menu to show parents, but since covid I haven't been flapping bits of paper at them, apart from my certificates which have been laid out on the garden table in plastic wallets. They can see the menu and then I guess it might either put them off or give them comfort.

I have always had parents who obviously want generally healthy food and leave it up to me to decide what we have from there. I always know that they won't mind if we have the occasional less than perfect meal, for example, if we get back from the woods late and I need to rustle up something quick - everything in moderation. However, a family that I had round the other day, well, I'm not sure they really knew how a childminder works, I think they really need a nanny. We were chatting generally about food and, reflecting upon it, I'm wondering if I gave them the wrong impression. I asked about diet and then the requests started happening. It was quite obvious that they did not expect any processed, quick food, like a sandwich. Only brown rice or wholewheat pasta, fresh meat or fish etc. When I first started minding, I foolishly used to cook both lunch and dinner from scratch and I was exhausted. Then I realised that there was nothing wrong (in my eyes) with a baked potato and cheese and beans, or a sandwich with raw veg and fruit for lunch, followed by a cooked meal for tea. Quite often we do have a cooked lunch prepped from scratch as well, but I don't want to be tied to that. We only have white pasta and rice, as does my mindee.

So, when and how do you discuss food/meals with new parents? Do you tell them what you will and will not be doing/serve? I'm thinking I need to be a bit more proactive in future so that I don't feel myself sinking like I did with these parents, lol. Bless them, they weren't rude, just gently forceful.