Nov 02, 2026
Food is about much more than what is served on a plate. Across our nurseries, it can be a reason to gather around a table, an opportunity to practise independence, the starting point for a maths activity or a chance to discover where ingredients come from.
Throughout October, our nursery teams have been sharing some of the ways food becomes part of everyday life at The Old Station Nursery. From cookery sessions and shared mealtimes to growing, preparing and exploring ingredients, here is a glimpse of what the children have been getting up to.
Children love being given a real role in what is happening around them, and food provides plenty of opportunities to join in.
Across our nurseries, this might mean helping to wash fruit and vegetables, mixing ingredients, spreading toppings, measuring spoonfuls or carefully adding ingredients to a bowl. Sometimes the finished creation is enjoyed together at nursery and sometimes it is something to proudly take home.
The result does not have to look perfect. Much of the enjoyment comes from being involved, making choices and being able to say, “I helped make that.”
Photos by The Old Station Nursery Bromsgrove. See full post here.
“One of the lovely things about cookery is seeing how quickly the children take ownership of what they are doing. They want to pour, mix and help one another, and there is always plenty of conversation around the table too.”
Keith Parry, Nursery Manager at The Old Station Nursery Moseley
Everyday food experiences are full of small opportunities for children to do things for themselves.
Depending on their age and stage, children might help prepare a snack, pour their own water, choose between ingredients, serve part of their meal or help clear away afterwards.
These everyday moments may seem small, but being trusted with a job and having the chance to make a choice can mean a lot to a young child.
Our teams are there to support when needed, while also giving children the time and space to have a go for themselves.
Photo by The Old Station Nursery Oxford. View full post here.
Food has a habit of starting conversations.
A recipe might lead to counting spoonfuls or noticing what happens when ingredients are mixed. Something growing in the nursery garden can prompt questions about seasons, weather and where food comes from. Around the table, children talk, listen, share and enjoy time with their friends.
That is why food experiences can fit so naturally into everyday nursery life. They do not need to feel like a lesson. The learning happens through being involved, asking questions and discovering things together.
Photo by The Old Station Nursery Canterbury. View full post here.
October has also given our nurseries plenty of opportunities to explore something a little different.
That might be using produce grown in a nursery garden, preparing a seasonal recipe, investigating the smell and texture of a new ingredient or turning something the children have discovered outdoors into the starting point for a cookery activity.
And sometimes the journey from where food comes from to what ends up on our plates is particularly easy to see. At our Devizes nursery, for example, the children can help collect eggs laid by the nursery’s chickens before learning more about how ingredients can be used.
As our nurseries continue sharing their food experiences throughout the month, we will be adding some of our favourite moments here.
Reel by Good Manors Day Nursery Manor Lodge. View the full post here.
These are just a few snapshots from across our nurseries. Food looks a little different from setting to setting, but the opportunities around it are everywhere: to talk, explore, create, contribute and enjoy time together.
Our Cookery Enhancement builds on these everyday experiences through weekly hands-on sessions where children can measure, mix, explore ingredients, and create simple recipes, building confidence, curiosity, and practical life skills along the way.
And, as the children often remind us, sometimes the simplest experiences can create the biggest conversations.
Discover more about nursery food and menus at The Old Station Nursery, including our approach to meals, dietary requirements and food experiences.
Explore our nursery food and menus by clicking here.