How We Have Implemented the New DfE Nutrition Guidance
In May 2025, the Department for Education introduced important updates to nutritional expectations in Early Years settings. These changes focus on supporting children with allergies and ensuring all children receive the healthiest possible start in life.
At The Learning Tree, we have always taken pride in providing freshly prepared, nutritious meals cooked from scratch by our in-house chefs. The new guidance aligns closely with our long-standing approach, and we have carefully reviewed and strengthened our practices to ensure full compliance.
The New Guidance: Provide, Limit, Avoid
The DfE’s updated recommendations focus on three key principles. Here is how we apply them in our nursery:
Provide
We are committed to offering balanced and nutritious meals that include five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
Our menus:
follow recommended portion guidance for children aged 0-5 years
feature exciting, varied, multicultural dishes
change seasonally to support sustainability
allow children to enjoy mealtimes as a rich learning experience
During meals, children sit together with their peers and staff. They develop independence by self-serving, pouring their own drinks, practising cutlery skills, and exploring new foods in a supportive environment.
Limit
We limit foods that contain added sugar, salt, and saturated fats. This helps children develop healthy eating habits for life.
Avoid
We avoid ultra-processed foods and items high in sugar and salt, such as sugary drinks, crisps, sweets, and shop-bought cakes.
Our Menu Approach
When planning our menus, we want children to experience new flavours and wholesome home-cooked meals. We prioritise seasonal ingredients to support sustainability and offer a wide variety of tastes and textures.
Example Daily Menu
Breakfast: Warm porridge with banana and milk
Morning snack: Crackers with cheese
Lunch: Wholewheat penne tuna bake with hidden vegetables, followed by Greek yoghurt and a low-sugar raspberry cake
Afternoon snack: Homemade hummus with oatcakes
Tea: Wholemeal muffins with baked beans
Supporting Children with Allergies
We want families to feel confident that children with allergies are safe, supported and fully included at mealtimes.
All our chefs receive specialist allergy training.
Allergen preparation procedures are strictly followed.
Menus clearly identify all 14 recognised food allergens.
For any child with an allergy, our cooks’ complete daily checks to ensure their meals meet their needs.
Each child with an allergy has an Allergy Action Plan and a designated orange placemat to support safe meal service.
To reduce choking risks, staff maintain appropriate ratios and sit with children throughout meals. Foods are prepared safely - for example, cherry tomatoes are quartered, and fruit is cut into stick shapes rather than chunks.
We also signpost families to helpful resources that reflect the safe eating practices we use in nursery.