It’s Official – Willow Tree’s Food is Amongst the Best Nationally  

Getting toddlers to enjoy healthy food is a challenge for many parents.  We are delighted that Willow Tree has just been shortlisted for the 2022 Nursery World National Food Award, recognising their food as amongst the UK’s best.

At Willow Tree, and all Elmscot nurseries, inspiring a lifetime of healthy eating starts with the children getting plenty of fresh air.  They tend their own herb garden, enjoy shopping trips to local food markets, forage in the wild, and cook their own food over coals in Forest School.  Back at nursery, they use food for learning and cooking.

Wendy, Willow Tree’s cook, prepares meals that the children love, on-site, from scratch, using varied menus which are approved by a paediatric dietitian. She sources the freshest local ingredients, nurturing strong relationships with local suppliers.  For example, Taylors of Sale makes Willow Tree healthy sausages to their own recipe.

Nursery staff eat with the children in a calm, family style, gently coaxing them to try new foods and chat about their day, whilst encouraging independence, good table manners and sharing.  Parents are consulted to ensure all dietary requirements are met, weaning support offered and menus shared.

Nursery Manager, Nancy Clare,  said: “Inspiring happy, healthy, lifelong learners is our goal.  We are thrilled that our dedication to providing the very best food that children love has been recognised’.  Meanwhile, a parent commented ‘This is amazing and exciting. Healthy food is the key to a child’s development and educated food choices in their adult lives. So happy we choose you for our little boy’

This award is no flash in the pan.  Willow Tree’s food has also won the Soil Association’s  Food for Life Early Years, Level 5 Food Hygiene, and Trafford Healthy Settings Awards.  It’s the fourth time that the Elmscot group’s dedication to providing fresh, healthy food has been recognised with a national award.  Their food is so well regarded that they have their own recipe book, and are often called upon to advise on other nurseries’ food.

It is reassuring to know that some of the UK’s best nursery food is available, right here in Cheshire.  Oh, to be young again.