Kitchen · August 30, 2026 · 1 minute read
A week of lunches, and how we plan them
Five lunches, fourteen allergens, and a menu the children help to choose.
I cook every meal here from scratch, starting at seven each morning. The menu runs on a four-week cycle and changes with the seasons.
Allergies by name
Every child with an allergy or a special diet has a photo card in the kitchen. Their plate is made first, covered, labelled with their name, and handed to their key person — never put down on a table.
The children choose
Once a term, the Meadow children help plan a week of lunches. This term they chose fish pie, which I expected, and roasted beetroot, which I did not.
What we avoid
- Added sugar and salt
- Whole grapes, nuts and other choking risks (grapes are always quartered)
- Juice: children drink water and milk