NUTRITION

Our food ethos

Rosemount is a vegetarian nursery, offering freshly prepared meals with organic ingredients. We aim to source as many seasonal fruits and vegetables as possible to cut down on our carbon footprint and offer a range of plant based meals and snacks each week.

The nursery is taking part in Healthy Early Years London (HEYL). We believe that we have a responsibility to encourage healthy eating habits in the very young. Therefore, we do not provide sugary drinks, shop bought biscuits, crisps or sweets and after each main meal we offer children fruit or fruit salad, rather than a sugary dessert, except on celebrations such as birthdays when we make children a homemade, vegan birthday cake.

The snacks at Rosemount are also healthy, very often comprising a range of fruits, vegetable crudités, plant-based dips (such as guacamole and hummus) and healthy sandwiches, soups and pita bread with fillings.

On occasions children prepare biscuits, cakes and smoothies in our cookery groups which are eaten at teatime. In these activities we promote the use of healthier ingredients such as oats and dried fruits and minimise the sugar content, opting for other natural sweeteners such as agave nectar.

We also incorporate information about healthy eating into the curriculum and teach children about healthy eating, good nutrition and dental care through songs, music and stories.

Mealtimes are a social time and adults and children eat together around small tables. Mealtimes are also used as an opportunity to learn about other cultures and our menus regularly feature dishes from around the world. A favourite of the children is African Jollof rice and plantains.

We welcome veggie/vegan recipe suggestions from parents.

Our menus

Rosemount provides home cooked meals, freshly prepared daily on the premises each day.

We ensure that the children’s dietary needs are met and that they are offered foods from the four main food groups:

• Protein
• Dairy foods
• Grains, cereals and starch vegetables
• Fruit and vegetables

We serve breakfast, lunch and tea.

Breakfast is usually a selection of low sugar cereal options, which we offer with freshly sliced bananas and apples. We also offer dairy and plant milk options.

After the main meal we offer a range of fruits  each week, including bananas, chopped apples, pears, kiwi fruit, blueberries, sliced melon and strawberries.

Our teatime options include a range of healthy options, such as:

• pitta bread, hummus and vegetable sticks with flapjacks (prepared by the children).
• home made vegetarian pizza slices loaded with vegetables; followed by yoghurt.
• mixed selection of sandwiches, corn on the cob, followed by fruit salad.
• wholegrain crackers with cheese or mushroom spread, dried fruit and vegetarian (non-gelatine) jelly.
• lentil soup and baked rolls, followed by rice cakes or fruit muffins.

We ensure that children with allergies are catered for and we work with parents to ensure that children have varied options.

Drinking water is readily available throughout the day and children are encouraged to help themselves from our urn.

See the sample menus below for our main meals.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is a non-ministerial government body responsible for food safety and food hygiene across the UK.  It works with local authorities to enforce food safety regulations and standards are being met. The food hygiene rating or inspection result given to a business reflects the standards of food hygiene found on the date of inspection or visit by the local authority.  The inspections are carried out annually.  Rosemount is proud to have a 5 star rating.