PRE-PREP
Starting school, the right way
At pre-prep level, food becomes an important part of the school day, supporting growing independence and curiosity. We design menus that are colourful, varied and nutritionally balanced, with an increased range of choice that encourages children to explore new flavours while still providing familiar favourites.
Our approach blends structure with flexibility, ensuring service is efficient but never rushed. We engage pupils through themed days, age-appropriate food education and gentle encouragement, helping to build confidence around food choices while reinforcing positive habits that extend beyond the dining hall.
ENGAGEMENT
Trusting us to create good food should be a given. We believe in going beyond the dining room to create a food culture bespoke to your school. Our commitments include:
PLAYGROUND AND AFTER SCHOOL TASTER SESSIONS
For pupils and parents to gain feedback and promote new dishes
REGULAR THEME DAYS
Aligned to school curriculum to create a sense of fun and holistic education
ENGAGEMENT WITH LOCAL GROWERS
To experience the farm to fork journey
COOKERY CLASSES
For your pupils in an informal, fun and educational way
APPROACH TO FOOD
Our menus have been designed in partnership with our nutritionist and Culinary Director, to be packed with nutrition and flavour. They are varied to include safe and familiar favourites such as our homemade lasagne and our personal favourite - sausage and mash. We want to taste the world, so we have also added dishes that have a little more adventure, such as our warming Mexican fajitas or charred vegetable tagine.
All pupils will enjoy a daily special, including vegetarian options and homemade puddings for afters, we will make sure lunchtime puts a smile on their face and a skip in their step, all the way through to home time!
Every day we look to ensure:
HOT DISHES
Meat option
Vegetarian option
Special KS2 option
Jacket potato
ADDITIONAL EXTRAS
Salad bar
Fresh flavoured bread
Hydration station
PUDDING!
3 x pudding (hot, fruity, or yoghurt)
Allergies and Intolerances
Culinera have a robust allergens and intolerances policy which. All of our team are trained on the importance of our procedures. Further to this, we provide enhanced training to at least two 'Allergen Champions' per school who will have completed the Allergen Accreditation course. We conduct half-termly refresher training to ensure all team members understand clearly our processes.
Through the use of our various systems, we have ways to support schools and parents in ordering meals safely.