School meals caterers serving up healthy food

Catering bosses say their meals for nursery and primary school children have been given the thumbs up by the Children’s Food Trust.

Healthy Roots was the first food company to have its menus inspected and approved by the trust last year, and has repeated the achievement again this year.

The firm now delivers more than 1,000 meals per day to sites across the South East of the country from its base in Ellingham Way in South Ashford.

The company was founded in 2010 by managing director Dawn Phelps alongside Allan Morris, and now she works with head chef Chris Freeman to design the menu options.

Dawn said: “Healthy Roots believes children should eat gorgeous food and our passion is to introduce children to new flavours, textures and food combinations.

“We are very committed to serving natural, nutritious food and we wanted to work with a body which shared that commitment.

“Nursery owners want to give their parents the reassurance that they are doing the best for the children in their care, and that includes feeding them good quality meals.

“Before signing up to the trust’s menu checking service we used a software package to analyse the nutritional makeup of our menus, but this could be open to interpretation.

“For us, it was important to know that what we are doing is absolutely right, and this service provides that guarantee.”

She said the business is now aiming to expand into serving day and boarding schools in the area with the hot meals.

Children’s Food Trust nutritionist Laura Whiting said: “Our menu checking service gives early years settings and their caterers the confidence they are compliant with the voluntary early years guidelines resulting in menus that provide the energy and nutrients children need to grow and do well.”

For more information about Healthy Roots visit www.healthyroots.co.uk, email info@healthyroots. co.uk or call 01233220818.