From familiar favourites to introducing children to new flavours, a varied nursery menu can help encourage healthy eating habits from an early age.

These five dishes are sure to be popular with children while providing plenty of opportunities to include nutritious ingredients.

Pasta Bake: A Nursery Mealtime Favourite

Pasta bake is a classic family favourite and an excellent choice for nursery menus. Soft pasta combined with a tasty tomato sauce, vegetables and cheese makes a filling and nutritious meal that is easy for young children to eat.

There are plenty of ways to adapt pasta bake depending on your menu. Add vegetables such as peppers, courgettes, carrots or spinach, or include chicken for an additional source of protein.

It is also a great dish for nursery kitchens because it can be prepared in large batches, making it practical for easily feeding large groups of children. Different pasta shapes can also make the meal more appealing and fun for younger children.

Mild Chicken Curry: Introducing Children to New Flavours

A mild chicken curry is a great way to introduce young children to different flavours while keeping the dish gentle and suitable for developing palates.

Using a mild curry sauce with tender chicken and vegetables creates a nutritious and colourful meal that can be served with fluffy rice. Vegetables such as peas, carrots and sweetcorn can be incorporated into the dish, helping children enjoy a wider variety of foods.

For nursery kitchens, using a quality ready-made sauce can also make preparing a tasty curry much quicker and easier.

Serving mild curries at nursery can be a great way to introduce children to different cuisines and encourage them to become more adventurous with food.

Cottage Pie: A Classic Comforting Nursery Meal

Cottage pie is a familiar favourite that works particularly well on a nursery menu. Made with minced beef, vegetables and gravy, topped with creamy mashed potato, it is soft, comforting and easy for young children to eat.

It is also a great opportunity to include vegetables such as carrots, peas and onions in a dish that children already know and enjoy.

Cottage pie is ideal for preparing in larger quantities, making it a practical choice for busy nursery kitchens. It can also be adapted to suit different dietary requirements, with vegetarian versions providing an alternative to meat.

Jacket Potatoes: A Versatile Nursery Lunch

Jacket potatoes are one of the most versatile options for a nursery menu. They are simple to prepare and can be served with a variety of nutritious fillings, giving children plenty of choice.

Popular toppings could include:

• Baked beans
• Grated cheese
• Tuna and sweetcorn
• BBQ chicken
• Vegetarian chilli or bolognese

Jacket potatoes are also a useful way to introduce different ingredients to children. Offering a selection of toppings allows children to try new foods while still having familiar options available.

With a filling such as beans, tuna or chicken alongside vegetables such as peppers and cucumber, jacket potatoes can provide a nutritious and satisfying nursery lunch.

Casserole: A Nutritious One-Pot Nursery Meal

A warming casserole is another excellent option for nursery kitchens. Whether made with chicken, beef or vegetarian alternatives, casseroles are a great way to create a nutritious meal using a variety of ingredients.

Soft-cooked meat and vegetables make casseroles easy for younger children to eat, while ingredients such as carrots, peas, potatoes and other seasonal vegetables can help add important nutrients and variety to the menu.

Casseroles are also ideal for batch cooking, helping nursery kitchens prepare meals efficiently while making the most of their ingredients.

For a nursery looking to introduce children to different vegetables, a colourful casserole can be a simple and tasty way to do it.

Choosing the Best Meals for Nursery Menus

The most successful nursery meals combine nutrition, variety and familiar flavours. Meals should be suitable for young children, easy to eat and practical for busy nursery kitchens to prepare in larger quantities.

Pasta bake, mild chicken curry, cottage pie, jacket potatoes and casseroles are all versatile dishes that can be adapted with different ingredients to create varied and nutritious nursery menus.

Introducing children to a wide range of flavours and ingredients from an early age can help encourage positive attitudes towards food and healthy eating.

If you’re looking for quality ingredients for your nursery kitchen, Trevors Foodservice supplies a wide range of fresh, chilled, frozen and ambient products to nurseries and education customers across the North West.

The post 5 Nursery Meals That Children Will Love appeared first on Trevors Foodservice.

The Government is updating England’s School Food Standards, with most of the new requirements expected to come into effect from September 2027, subject to Parliamentary approval.

The changes are designed to help children eat more fruit, vegetables, fibre and healthier sources of protein, while reducing their intake of sugar, saturated fat, salt and processed meat.

For schools and caterers, this means it is worth reviewing menus, products and procurement arrangements well ahead of the September 2027 implementation date.

What are the main changes?

More fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables will have a greater role across the school day.

The updated standards will strengthen requirements around:

• Offering fruit or vegetables with starters and desserts.
• Serving vegetables or salad with main meals.
• Incorporating vegetables into dishes such as pasta, sauces and grab-and-go options.
• Increasing opportunities for pupils to choose fruit and vegetables.

This means fresh, frozen and prepared fruit and vegetables will all continue to be important parts of school catering.

More fibre and wholegrains

There will be a stronger focus on higher-fibre foods.

For example:

• Manufactured bread will need to contain at least 4g of fibre per 100g and no more than 5g of fat per 100g.
• Homemade bread must contain at least 50% wholemeal flour.
• At least one day each week, pasta dishes will need to contain at least 50% wholewheat pasta.

Schools may therefore need to review the breads, rolls, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates currently used. Please speak with your Trevors rep for advice on the suitability of products you order and/or appropriate swaps.

New breakfast standards

Breakfast is an important part of the updated framework, particularly as the Government expands access to breakfast provision.

Breakfasts will focus on starchy carbohydrates, alongside fruit and vegetables.

Among the changes:

• Breakfast cereals will have a maximum 5.5g sugar per 100g.
• Bread will need to meet the new fibre and fat requirements.
• Honey, syrups and chocolate spreads will not be permitted, apart from low-sugar jam.
• Processed meat will not be permitted at breakfast in primary schools.
• Crumpets, teacakes and unsweetened pancakes can be served on up to two days each week.

If you provide breakfast clubs or breakfast services, now is a good time to review your existing product range speak to your rep to arrange an audit of the products you currently use.

More variety in protein

The updated standards continue to encourage a wider range of protein sources.

Schools will need to provide appropriate protein sources within main meals, with continued emphasis on meat, poultry, fish, pulses and vegetarian options.

Less processed meat

Processed meat will face tighter restrictions.

For primary schools, processed meat will not be permitted.

For secondary schools, specified processed meat will be permitted twice per week, either at breakfast or elsewhere during the school day.

Schools and caterers should therefore consider where products such as processed meat are currently used across menus, sandwiches, breakfasts and grab-and-go ranges.

Changes to desserts

The Government has adapted its original proposals following consultation.

A proposed fruit-only dessert day for primary schools has been removed.

Secondary schools will be able to provide two sweetened desserts or baked products per week.

The intention is to improve nutritional quality while still ensuring that school meals remain appealing to pupils.

Drinks

There will be tighter requirements around drinks served in schools.

Water and appropriate milk-based drinks will remain important.

There are also restrictions around drinks containing added sugars and certain sweeteners. Again please speak with your contact at Trevors to arrange an audit of your existing drinks range.

Some secondary-school drinks requirements will be phased in from September 2028.

When will the changes happen?

Trevors are working with our suppliers to develop / rework products to meet the incoming regulations. We have products in stock that meet the new standards and we will working on updating the tags in this in the coming weeks so you can easily search these on Coldweb. In the meantime keep in touch with your rep to find out more about how Trevors can help your school.

The post New School Food Standards: What Schools and Caterers Need to Know appeared first on Trevors Foodservice.

Held at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, the event was a great opportunity to meet people working in education and have some really useful conversations about one of the things that matters every day in schools: feeding pupils well.

And, fittingly for a foodservice wholesaler, Trevors also supplied the food for delegates to enjoy at lunchtime!

From breakfast clubs to school lunches

One of the biggest things we took away from the event was just how varied the foodservice needs of schools can be.

Our conversations with schools covered everything from school lunches and breakfast clubs to snacks and everyday catering requirements.

Breakfast clubs can play an important role in the school day, providing pupils with something nutritious to eat before lessons begin. For schools, this means finding products that are practical, affordable and easy for catering teams to prepare and serve.

Then there is the school lunch.

Whether meals are prepared on site, served across a larger school group or supplemented with additional products, schools need a foodservice supplier they can rely on for consistent availability, quality and delivery.

We understand that school catering isn’t simply about putting food on a plate. Catering teams are working within budgets, managing dietary requirements and allergens, planning menus and trying to provide meals that pupils will actually want to eat.

That’s where having the right foodservice partner can make a difference.

We brought some of our favourites along too

Of course, we couldn’t attend an event like this without showcasing some of the products we supply!

Among the products we took along were Country Range Sliced Gammon Ham and our award-winning Cheddar – two versatile products that demonstrate the sort of ingredients schools can use across menus.

From sandwiches and breakfast options to fillings, jacket potatoes, cold lunches and cooked dishes, versatile products can help catering teams create a range of meals without making menu planning unnecessarily complicated.

Our award-winning Cheddar is another great example of a product that can work hard in a school kitchen, whether it’s being used in sandwiches, jacket potatoes, pasta dishes, sauces or as part of a hot meal.

Understanding what schools need

Events like Wonderful Warrington are particularly valuable because they give us the chance to listen.

We don’t just want to tell schools what products we sell. We want to understand the challenges their catering teams face and look at how Trevors can help solve them.

That could mean finding products that work within a particular budget, helping with menu ideas, sourcing suitable alternatives or simply making sure the products a school relies on arrive when they’re needed.

Our online ordering system also gives customers access to useful product information, including allergens and cooking instructions, helping catering teams make informed choices when planning and ordering.

Supporting schools across the North West

Trevors has been supplying foodservice customers for more than 60 years, supporting customers across sectors including schools, nurseries, care homes, hotels, restaurants and cafés.

For schools, our aim is simple: make foodservice easier.

From the first breakfast club of the day through to lunchtime and afternoon snacks, we want to help schools access the products they need, backed by reliable deliveries and a team that understands foodservice.

Wonderful Warrington gave us the opportunity to meet some great people from the education sector, hear more about what schools are looking for and introduce more schools to what Trevors can offer.

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by to speak to us – and to the organisers for putting together such a great event.

If you’re responsible for catering or food purchasing in a school and would like to find out more about how Trevors could support you, we’d love to hear from you.

The post Trevors Foodservice joins schools and education professionals at Wonderful Warrington appeared first on Trevors Foodservice.