A CHESTER day nursery is in fine health after becoming the first in Cheshire West to secure a national food accolade.

Elmscot Day Nursery Chester has earned the Food for Life award – promoting a healthy lifestyle in early years.

The Food for Life Award is a national accreditation from the Soil Association awarded to schools and early years settings.

It is designed to recognise settings that give children the best possible start by providing sustainable, fresh produce, as well as giving children opportunity to cook, grow and learn all about the food they eat.

Elmscot Chester provided evidence to show they take pride in providing quality, freshly prepared meals for all children in their care.

Fruits, vegetables and meat are all sustainably sourced from local suppliers and all menus are approved by a paediatric dietitian. The children learn about where their food comes from and how to cook their favourite meals at nursery.

Throughout the year, the nursery also invites local suppliers, parents and grandparents to join in with a variety of food-based events and cultural celebrations.

Elmscot Chester is part of the Elmscot Group of Day Nurseries and Nursery Schools, which provide care and early years’ education across Cheshire.

Dee McKenzie, director at Elmscot Group, said: “We are incredibly proud of the team at Elmscot Chester for achieving the Food for Life Award. They have worked hard to gain this accreditation and have created a great foundation for the future health and wellbeing of children in their care.

“All Elmscot Group settings have now gained the Food for Life Award. We can now demonstrate to families across Cheshire that we provide their children with the best quality food and nutrition.”

Siân Creagh-Osborne, Food for Life Awards programme manager, added: “I am very proud of Elmscot Chester for their hard work in achieving a Food for Life Early Years award.

"By meeting all of the criteria, they are demonstrating that they are not only providing the nutritious food that plays such a crucial role in a child's development, but are enriching the curriculum through growing and cooking, giving every child in their care the best possible start in life.

“As a survey by Food for Life shows that 90 per cent of parents say the provision of healthy food is an important choice factor when selecting an early years provider for their children, I hope the award will act as a useful guide for parents and carers in the process of choosing a nursery, as it verifies Elmscot Chester are meeting clearly laid out criteria.”