Meals and snacks at Performatots are a learning opportunity. We plan our menu to be delicious, nutritious and to give pupils a wide variety of food textures and tastes from around the world. This all helps to introduce new foods to your little one and helps mealtimes become a learning time to be independent and part of our daily life at Performatots.

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Our Teaching Kitchen and Bistro is inspired by the work of Maria Montessori and children are very much encouraged to take on responsibility at mealtimes, helping to make our lunches, set the tables, serve our menu and clear away after themselves too. There is a real sense of excitement and community spirit around food at our Pre-School.

We serve a 2 course home-cooked lunch and afternoon tea. All our meals contain fresh vegetables, either hidden in sauces or in their usual form.  Sometimes we like to have a 'starter' instead of our 'dessert' course. We do limit refined sugar at Performatots, and fresh fruit platters are our usual pudding choice. However we also help children understand about healthy choices and that a treat is ok in moderation, for example having an homemade oaty biscuit with our mid-morning milk. We explore other ways to sweeten foods such as using honey and fruits in our sweet treats. Any prepared food, for example baked beans, are always the low salt/sugar variety.  We work hard to eliminate anxiety at mealtimes and to develop a healthy relationship to food and a relaxed enjoyment of eating together.

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If your child has or develops any issues relating to food, please have a chat with your well-being buddy at Performatots, so we can work together with our team and Chef. We have lots of strategies and techniques to utilise. We always use lots of positive praise and encouragement to try new foods and develop your child's palette and range of foods they enjoy.

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DRINKS

We don't serve juice at Performatots, as the sugar content isn't great for teeth. Cleaning your child's teeth morning and night is super important. Tooth decay can lead to pain, gum disease and even to your child having to have teeth extracted under general anaesthetic, so brushing teeth under supervision at this age is essential. Advice and guidance can be found here: Children's teeth - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

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Children have access to fresh drinking water all day, with mid-morning milk served around 10.30am with our snack.

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