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Nourishing people and the planet

We know that nutritious food plays a vital role in early childhood development, so, we work with food and nutrition experts to ensure that we can provide delicious, nutrient packed meals and snacks for young children.

But we also know that being kind to each other, animals and the planet will make the world a better place for children to grow up in, and we're committed to help make this a reality.

Our food principles

Principle Our food values Living our values
Nutrition Appealing food that is delicious and nutritious Exceed the Eat Better, Start Better guidance. Dishes developed by chefs and approved by nutritionists. Adding nutritional value at every step.
How we prepare Freshly prepared by us, cooked by nurseries Enabling nurseries to serve healthy and exciting meals and snacks, consistently and safely. Producing nutritious meals for all dietary needs and preferences.
Variety Modernising early years food Diverse cuisines to expose children to a wide variety of foods which establish healthy eating habits for life.
Education Children to learn about food and nutrition Food is part of education, inspiring children to love nutritious food and understand where it comes from.
Innovation Seasonal menu changes with constant improvement Summer and winter menus that reflect the seasons. Aspiration to create special occasion menus throughout the year.

How we design a dish

Development & Sourcing Principles Checklist
Low salt tick
No refined sugar tick
High welfare meat tick
Free range eggs tick
Sustainable fish (MSC) tick
Wholemeal flour and grains tick
Beans and pulses to increase nutrients tick
Oily fish at least once in the menu tick
Exciting plant based dishes tick
Visible ingredients supported with hidden nutrition tick
Achieve 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day tick

Food Safety

Holistic food safety

Food safety requirements have been identified, and effective procedures have been implemented across the entire business. This includes our premises and facilities, operations, training, maintenance and sanitation, personal hygiene, transportation, product information, consumer awareness and allergies.

Safe procurement

To ensure all our suppliers share our food safety values, we only source from suppliers who are SALSA or BRC accredited. However, we also have a robust qualification process in place for non-accredited suppliers, in case of emergencies.

HACCP plan

Our HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) plan keeps our food safe from biological, chemical and physical food safety hazards. An independent review has verified our plan to guarantee the highest standards of food safety.

UKAS accredited lab

Our shelf life and microbiological testing is completed by a UKAS accredited laboratory to ensure absolute confidence in results.

SALSA accredited

We opt to be independently audited and accredited by SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval).

The 105-point food safety inspection is recognised as exceeding the minimum food safety standards required by law. SALSA accreditation also ensures that our HACCP plan is accurate and that our holistic food safety procedures are effective and being continuously improved.

Food ethics and quality

Food origins

All of our ingredients are fully traceable from the source of origin to ensure the highest standards of quality and freshness.

Sustainable fish

All of our fish comes from MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified suppliers to ensure the fish we enjoy is sustainably caught in a way that minimises environmental impacts.

Animal welfare

We are working towards an enhanced accreditation to demonstrate that all of our meat comes from farms which conform to higher animal welfare regulations.

Charity partners

We proudly partner with charities who promote healthy eating values and those that distribute food to people who need it most.

Environmental values

Renewable energy

100% of the energy we use comes from renewable sources, either wind or solar.

Reducing waste

All of our waste is sent to a local Materials Recycling Facility (MFR), where it is sorted into recycling groups and sent away to be used again. If recycling isn’t possible, it is converted into fuel to make energy.

Reducing energy

Unsurprisingly, our kitchen needs a lot of refrigeration. That’s why we fitted it with inverter driven compressors, which mean our refrigeration consumes approximately 25% less energy than conventional fridges.

Eco vehicles

Our entire fleet of refrigerated vans are Euro 6, which sets lower limits for emissions. We are also in the process of exchanging our other vehicles to fully electric and charged by renewable energy.

Recyclable packaging

Our meals are delivered in aluminium trays which are 100% recyclable. Recycling aluminium uses 95% less energy than producing it and saves 9 tonnes of CO2 for every tonne recycled. The insulation used in our Taster Boxes is made from sheep’s wool, which keeps the sheep and farmers very happy. The film that seals our trays is not yet recyclable, but we are working on it!

Team values

London Living Wage

Money isn’t everything, but we all need to earn enough to live well. That’s why we pay the London Living Wage to our entire team. The London living wage is independently calculated based on the cost of living in London and is higher than the national minimum or living wage.

Skills based pay

Everyone at The Professional Nursery Kitchen is treated equally and paid for the skills they learn. No role in our kitchen attracts more pay than another, it is simply how many different skills you are willing to learn.

Free lunch

There is such thing as a free lunch! All our team enjoy a free hot meal each day from the dishes we produce. Not only does this keep them fuelled for cooking, but it also keeps us closely connected with the fantastic food we make.

Apprenticeship programme

We are developing an exciting apprenticeship programme with several other employers, which will provide our apprentices with an enriching learning experience to build skills for life.

Childcare discounts

Several of our team have children in nurseries who

serve our meals. To help them with the costs, we offer team members a 10% discount and tax savings on nursery places with any of our partner nurseries, under a Workplace Nursery Agreement.