Nurseries in Hove
Nutrition & Food
Children at the Home by the Sea Nursery and Pre-school are treated to a diverse menu of freshly prepared, nutritious meals created by the skilled and dedicated in-house chef at our nearby sister nursery Cromwell Road Day Nursery and Preschool.
Each dish is thoughtfully made from scratch using top-quality ingredients, with an emphasis on seasonal produce to ensure maximum freshness and flavour.
The chef’s commitment to health and sustainability is demonstrated through their achievement of the Healthy Choice Gold Standard Award, recognising their exceptional menus and cooking practices.
In addition, they have earned a perfect 5 out of 5 stars in their most recent Food Hygiene & Safety inspection, ensuring that your child’s meals are not only delicious but also prepared to the highest standards.
Allergies, food sensitivities and other special dietary requirements
As part of our induction process, all parents are asked whether their children have any food allergies, sensitivities or other dietary requirements. If they do, this information is shared with our entire team and our kitchens have dedicated areas for food preparation.
According to our Food and Drink Sensitivity & Allergy Policy, children with special dietary requirements are served first to avoid cross contamination.
Mealtimes
- 8am Breakfast
- 9:30am Snack
- 11:30am Lunch
- 2:30pm Afternoon snack
- 4pm Tea
Contact us
If required, we ask you to supply ‘made up’ baby formula milk in sterile bottles daily, following the Department of Health’s best practice guidelines, and we can warm bottles as needed.
In close consultation with parents/carers, we provide babies with pureed fruit, vegetables, and meals when they are ready to be weaned.
For health and safety reasons, we cannot serve homemade food, though we accept sealed baby food jars and yoghurts. Our nursery manager is happy to discuss specific dietary needs or preferences in detail with you to ensure your child’s requirements are met.
Children who start before 8.30 a.m. are offered a choice of breakfast items such as cereal, toast, muffins, or pancakes, with a variety of toppings and a drink of milk. Snack times include a range of options like fruit, vegetables, biscuits, breads, or dips. Lunch includes a hot meal and a dessert, while afternoon tea is a lighter meal.
Menus are displayed on parent noticeboards, and meals are enjoyed as a social event among the children and staff.
We encourage age-appropriate independence during mealtimes, so children will help to set the table, they also use cutlery, cut up their own food, pour their own drinks, and clean their plates after they have eaten.
We also encourage social communication and age-appropriate behaviour during mealtimes, with staff modelling what we expect to see and hear.
Staff are also always present for health and safety reasons, as well as to assist the children with eating and drinking.
The cost of all meals and snacks is included in the nursery fee.
