SOEL Summer Menu
SOEL believes good nutrition in the first few years of a child’s life is vital for their growth and development potential. During these years, the growth rate is rapid, and eating behaviours are set. When a child is growing rapidly, appetite generally increases to meet their expanding energy and nutrient needs. When growth slows, there’s often a decreased interest in food, and children may eat less. However, they still need to meet adequate intakes of key nutrients. Therefore it’s crucial to offer a wide variety of foods daily to meet their needs and to introduce new foods to develop their food preferences.
The Australian dietary guidelines for children under 4 years, alongside the Nutrition Australia guidelines for recommended average number of standard serves per day, and the Australian Health Department guidelines all provide support for Childcare chefs, menu planning, nutrition and food handling.
SOEL kitchens provide summer and winter menus that are nutritionally balanced. As a result, SOEL children have the recommended daily intake of each food group. Seasonal menus consist of age-appropriate meals and snacks that rotate every four weeks. Each day of each week contains a lunch hot main meal of either fish, chicken or turkey, pork, beef, lamb or vegetarian meal. Due to this rotation, children who attend don’t have the same meals and snacks each week. As well as a daily hot lunch, SOEL kitchens provide breakfast for children arriving between 6.30 am, and 7.15 am with a choice of Weetbix, fruit, yoghurt, SOEL granola, toast, crumpets as well as muffins that staff prepare for the children. Morning tea, afternoon tea and a late snack keep children going until their home evening meal. SOEL chefs work with staff, parents and management to ensure all children with allergies, intolerances, religious or lifestyle preferences are catered to. For example, we provide vegetarian, Halal and Vegan meals and snacks.
Menus are located in all dining areas as well as on the board at each SOEL entrance. Children’s meal, snack and fluid intakes are monitored by staff daily.
Sushi In-House Workshop by Chef Kyoko
SOEL Chefs have also spent the summer honing their sushi making skills. Sushi has been a part of the SOEL Summer Menu since the Chefs professional development last year. Chef Kyoko, a qualified Japanese chef with her own cooking school, came in to make some delicious Japanese cuisine. She taught our Chefs’ how to make sushi, teriyaki and vegetarian dishes. Since then, sushi has been on the menu for afternoon tea, rotating days each week.
All SOEL centres receive a weekly mixed supply of organic fruit and vegetables. Accordingly, the kitchens have been creatively adapting their meals to produce an exciting and fresh variety.
SOEL Mushroom Pinwheel Recipe
Our Mushroom Whole Meal Puff Pastry Pinwheels are a healthy, savoury meal that are simple and easy to make hours in advance. They can be eaten warm after baking, or alternatively, after cooling at room temperature.
How to make Mushroom Puff Pastry Pinwheels
Time needed: 45 minutes
Mushroom Pinwheel Ingredients
– 6 cups finely diced fresh field mushrooms
– 2 brown onions finely diced
– 200g pumpkin finely diced
– Fresh parsley
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– 2 cups grated cheese
– 6 to 8 sheets frozen wholemeal pastry puff sheets (partially defrosted)
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- Sauté onions in olive oil
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until tender.
- Add mushrooms, pumpkin & parsley
Add diced mushrooms, pumpkin and fresh parsley sauté for about 10 minutes till partially cooked. Season then allow to cool.
- Add grated cheese
Once cooled, fold cheese through the mushroom mixture.
- Spread mixture onto whole meal puff pastry and roll into pinwheels
Spread some mushroom mix along one end of the puff pastry. Lightly brush border with water, then roll puff pastry up, not too tightly into a log. Repeat with remaining pieces of puff pastry.
- Chill pinwheels and prepare oven
Roll puff pastry logs in Gladwrap, chill in the fridge for 20 mins. Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cut pinwheel logs
Cut puff pastry logs into 1.5cm rounds. Lay the cut rounds in rows along the baking sheet.
- Bake and serve
Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Mother’s Day Breakfast
SOEL’s Mother’s Day Breakfast event will be occurring throughout the week before Mother’s Day.
Breakfast will be catered for by our chefs at each SOEL centre every morning. Breakfast will be from 7:30 am to 8:30 am from Monday, 3rd May through to Friday, 7th May. Please join your child for a breakfast of:
- Fresh Fruit Salad
- Yoghurt
- SOEL Granola
- SOEL Baked Beans and Toast
- Savoury French Toast
- Weetbix & Dried Fruit
- Variety of Milk (Soy, Lactose-free) and Bread (Gluten-free) available
We look forward to seeing you there.
SOEL Winter Menu 2021
The SOEL Winter Menu will commence from mid-May 2021 to October 2021. Some lunch meals to expect over the winter months are wholesome, hearty casseroles and slow-cooked meals such as Beef Stroganoff. Other meals to expect are slow-cooked lamb shanks, shepherd’s pie, lentil moussaka or salmon and seasonal vegetable pasta. We also do several mild curries, such as Indian vegetable curry or fruity chicken curry. We serve these meals with either polenta, couscous, brown rice or pasta.