Food and Health Guidelines - Torfaen Family Information Service

6. Menu Planning
Menu planning is essential to achieving
a well-balanced and healthy diet for the
children in your care. It will also help you
to work towards providing the quality of
service described in the National Minimum
Standards - Standard 11, in particular 11.1
- ‘The registered person ensures that children
receive food and drink which is properly
prepared, nutritious and adequate in quanity
which complies with dietary and religious
requirements.
Menu planning should be undertaken by a
member of staff with the relevant knowledge
and skills and an understanding of children’s
differing nutritional needs.
The menu planning guidance set out below
can be used to help you produce a written
menu covering all food provided i.e. meals,
snacks and drinks.
Factors to consider when
menuplanning
• When planning meals, remember to
include foods from each of the four
food groups, so the child will receive
the variety of nutrients needed for health
and growth. A selection of foods from
each food group is highlighted in
Table 1.
• The colour of foods that make up a
meal is also important. Meals are much
more interesting if they consist of a
variety of colours. Use different colours
of vegetables to make meals more
appetising.
• The texture of foods adds to variety
and makes meals more interesting.
For example serve crunchy vegetables
that require chewing with soft dishes
such as Shepherds Pie.
• Try to alternate a cold meal with a
hot dessert and if you have an energy
dense, high fat main course, have a
light low fat dessert.
• Preparation time - look at what you are
cooking each day, and avoid having a
main course and dessert which will take
a lot of time to prepare. Divide the food
preparation so that it is equally spread
throughout the day. You may find that
you are limited by what you can fit in
the oven and on the hob. Take this into
account when planning your menu.
1