As many of our children will be spending longer periods of time in nursery, snack times and lunchtimes are a big part of the children's time in the setting. Usually children are involved in the snack preparation and baking which helps them to develop new skills in practical cookery. As you can imagine, current restrictions makes this process more challenging but we are finding creative ways to allow children to be involved in the preparation of their food only at this time.

During lunch, children enjoy a calm, home-like experience. Staff in the nursery support the children to develop independence when collecting, eating and clearing their lunch. Children usually use proper crockery and cutlery with appropriate supervision, enabling them to develop their skills however this term has started a little differently. Initially our children received ‘Grab and Go’ packed lunches and recently hot options such as a burger or panini have been introduced. Falkirk Council catering services have not yet published their ELC lunch menu due to ongoing changes and we will share it with you when it is published.

It is important to remind you that if your child has an allergy or intolerance, you must let a member of staff know as soon as possible. If your child has a diagnosed dietary requirement and has a specific need in regards to the food they can or cannot eat then a form must be completed (emailed to all parents at the start of term/in your welcome pack) and must be returned with a GP/Doctor letter confirming this. The form and the letter will then be sent to our Catering Department who will respond to say that they have acknowledged this. All written correspondence should be shared via email at this time.

Marvellous Meals was a focus for nursery improvement last session and we received wonderful feedback on our practice during an authority visit to see our Marvellous Meals in action.

“St Patrick’s ELC is operating a holistic approach to snack and mealtimes by adopting the marvellous mealtimes initiative. It is clear that children experience snack and mealtimes in an unhurried and relaxed atmosphere. Children were confident and independent as they self-served, chose different foods and helped their peers. Routines were embedded and practitioners were confident in the roles they played."

We will continue to keep Marvolus Meals and an improvement focus throughout this session.

The ELC Lunch menu for session 2025/26 can be found below.