Who are we?
Mini-Meals Catering provides a reliable delivery service of healthy nutritious and stable dinners for children at nursery schools, soft-play centres and parties in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire areas.
We have been providing healthy meals for the Rocking Horse Day Nursery Schools for over 10 years, as well as a number of other day nursery schools.
We believe in putting the needs of children first and providing them with the best protein, vitamins and minerals to help them grow and develop. Parents have always been extremely happy with our service and have given us great feedback which is very important to us. We always want to ensure everybody is happy, especially the children!
At Mini Meals Catering we aim to build strong partnerships with Early Years practitioners to ensure our catering company runs smoothly and that meals provided are to the highest standard for the children we provide for.
We provide probe wipes and probe record sheets for you to keep records for the Environmental Health Agency.
Sample Menu
At Mini Meals we guarantee that each meal is cooked on the day it is eaten, has been cooked using fresh produce and is nutritionally balanced. The menu is planned following a questionnaire being sent out for Centre staff, parents and children. We work to a 4-week rotation of the menu which is changed each season - 4 times a year. The menu is presented to the manager 4 weeks prior to it starting.
The menu is tailored to meet the needs of the Centre. It comprises of a hot 2 course balanced meal (including ethnic and cultural meals at no additional cost), with vegetarian meals available as required and fresh fruit available every day as a dessert alternative. The Eatwell plate is used (with fat and carbohydrate consideration given to the under two's) when planning each meal.
We can provide cereals, bread, spread, marmite, reduced-sugar jams and fruit on request.
| Lunch | Dessert | |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Locally-reared lamb (or Quorn) Seasonal vegetables and new potatoes, vegetarian gravy |
Home made fresh fruit salad |
| Tuesday | Organic or locally reared beef bolognaise (or vegetable mince) Carrots and spaghetti |
Bananas and ice-cream (or dairy free ice-cream) |
| Wednesday | Organic pork sausages (or Quorn sausages) Spring onion mashed potatoes, fresh peas and vegetarian gravy |
Jam sponge and custard (or Dairy free sponge and dairy free custard) |
| Thursday | Fresh cod in creamy mushroom and parsley sauce with tagliatelli | Home made chocolate brownie with cream (or non dairy cream) |
| Friday | Roast chicken dinner with roast potatoes Seasonal vegetables and vegetarian gravy |
Creamy Yeo Valley Yoghurt (or Soya yoghurt) |
- Free range eggs are used
- Some Fair Trade products are used
- No processed foods are used
- No nuts or nut derivatives are used
- No manufactured meats are used e.g. chicken nuggets, burgers - only local farm produced.
- Salt is not added when cooking
- Colourings and preservatives are not added
- Reduced amounts of sugar can be added to fruit crumbles and puddings if needed
The tin, glass, plastics and cardboard packaging we use is all recycled after use.
Free Trial
Still not convinced? Want to try us out before making a decision? Just fill in your details below and we will call you to arrange a free trial!
When we receive your details, we will give you a call and talk you through the process as well answering any questions you might have about us and the food we provide.
Information for Parents
Practical Suggestions to encourage healthy eating
- Children eat best in small groups with a familiar carer.
- Carers eating the same foods with children is extremely encouraging.
- Talk about foods and encourage conversation at meal and snack times
- Children over 2 years old should be encouraged to be involved and serve themselves.
- Finger foods (e.g. cheese, chicken, slices of fruit, carrot/celery sticks) are good.
- Face and shapes can be made on plates with food.
- Use appropriate cutlery and crockery for the age group.
- Food can be cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Allow enough time so the slower eater can finish.
- Don't force children to eat everything on their plate.
- Encourage children to help prepare foods.
- Always serve new or unfamiliar foods with familiar ones.
- If possible, link menus with activities that have been set.
- Use brightly coloured fruits and vegetables.
- Use stickers when a new food is tried.
- Make meals times a positive and enjoyable experience.
Portion control
Each menu has guidance for Centre staff on the amount of food to give to a child depending on age. This has been taken from the National Standards for portion control. Through daily feedback between the Centre and Mini-Meals, amounts can be adjusted for the following meal at no additional cost.
| Food | Raw Weight | Dry Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Fish | 56g | |
| 100% Cod Fish Fingers | 56g (Two) | |
| Oily Fish | 45g | |
| Meat and Poultry | 45g | |
| Farm-produced Sausages | 42g (One) | |
| Vegetarian meat equivalents | 45g | |
| Pulses | 60g (cooked weight) | |
| Meat and Poultry in curry/chilli, etc | 45g | |
| Cheese | 30g | |
| Vegetables (peas, sweetcorn, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, swede, turnip, cabbage, spinach) | 40g | |
| Baked Beans (reduced sugar and salt) | 70g | |
| Tinned Tomatoes | 40g | |
| Potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams | 60g | |
| Bread | 45g | |
| Pizza | 60g | |
| Pasta, cous couse or rice | 56g |
© Mini-Meals Catering 2010. All Rights Reserved.