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How it Works

Why choose Zebedees as your nursery food supplier?

We love what we do and we believe nutrition is at the heart of every child's development. After all, children can get up to 90% of their daily food intake from nursery food, which is why our nursery meal delivery service guarantees high-quality, healthy, and delicious food made from the freshest ingredients.

Here’s what sets our nursery catering service apart:

  • Locally Sourced Ingredients. Working with trusted local suppliers, we favour British-grown products and ingredients.

  • Nutritionist-approved Nursery Meals. With years of experience working with children and local authorities as a nutritional consultant, Charlotte Stirling-Reed collaborates with our chefs to create nutritious and balanced meals that are tailored to young children.

  • Tailored Menus for Every Child’s Need. We offer meal plans designed to meet every child's dietary requirements, food intolerances, and allergies. We are able to provide meals that do not contain any of the 14 main allergens, including gluten-free options, and ensure that they match or resemble the main menu wherever possible. It is our aim that no child feels ‘different’ or left out at meal times.

  • Never the same meal twice in 21 days. No more picky eaters! We rotate our menus every three weeks to ensure variety. Our menus are readily available for parents and nurseries to review online.

  • Real-time Trackable Delivery. Know exactly when meals will arrive with our reliable nursery food delivery service with real-time tracking.

  • Ensure Parents' Peace of Mind. Reassure parents that their children are well-cared for and are provided with healthy, balanced meals tailored to any dietary need.

  • Safety is a Top Priority. Our delivery drivers are DBS-checked, for peace of mind for nurseries and parents.

Healthy eating habits start young.

With Zebedees as your nursery food supplier, you can be confident that children are fueled by the right food. Only with the proper nutrients can they achieve great things—and we’re here to support them every step of the way.

Try Our Food

How to get your nursery meal delivery sorted with Zebedees

At Zebedees, we are committed to making it easy for nurseries to provide healthy, delicious meals to children. Here’s how:

1. Get a Taster Session: Obligation Free!

Thinking of using Zebedees as your trusted nursery meal supplier, but not ready to commit just yet? Try a first-hand experience of our nursery meals. Get our nursery meals delivered for a no-obligation taster session, so you can taste the quality of our dishes for yourself. 

2. Easily Order Your Nursery Meal Plan

Once you’ve decided to proceed, our Client Services team will provide you with a unique log-in to our online ordering system, ZOO (Zebedees Online Ordering). 

Orders must be submitted by 12 noon on a Thursday for the following week’s delivery.

3. Pay for Your Nursery Meal Delivery

We aim to make the payment process as simple as possible. All payments for your nursery food orders are made via Direct Debit and are due within 7 days of the invoice date. 

Book your nursery visit by simply filling out the form below. Available in London, Sussex, Kent, Brighton, Surrey, Hampshire, or Essex

Try Before You Buy

How Zebedees started: a legacy of quality nursery meals delivery

Professional chefs Philip Oates and Steve Parsons saw first-hand the problems local nursery schools were having with the provision of fresh, healthy food, using limited resources and kitchen facilities.

Over 25 years ago, they put their heads, know-how and spatulas together and came up with a reliable food delivery service that could meet both children and nurseries’ needs: Zebedees nursery catering company was founded.

Zebedees today: leading the way in nursery catering

Today, Zebedees' dedicated team of 90 is proud to:

  • Deliver more than 10,000 hot nursery meals

  • Serve 3,500 afternoon teas every day

  • Supply over 300 nursery settings across London, Brighton, East and West Sussex, Kent, Surrey and Essex.

And those numbers keep on growing, which we’re delighted about. 

But, even as we grow, our values remain the same: helping children learn, play and grow healthy.

Make the right choice for your nursery. Choose Zebedees.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you able to provide allergen free meals?

Yes, we can provide meals that do not contain any of the 14 main allergens, including egg-free, soya-free, dairy-free and gluten-free options. We can also provide substitute meals if a child is either intolerant or allergic to beans/pulses, tomatoes or citric acid

What cultural meals do you supply?

We offer vegetarian, vegan, pork free, beef free and Halal meals.

Where do you source your ingredients?

We use fresh, local ingredients and work with suppliers from Kent and Sussex wherever possible, to keep our food miles to a bare minimum.

How do you ensure the food stays hot?

Our food has a minimum core temperature of at least 90 degrees when it’s put into Thermoport containers to be delivered. This means it arrives above 63 degrees and the children will always be able to enjoy a hot meal. Chilled food is delivered below 8°c.

Can we freeze/reheat the food?

All our meals are made to be eaten at lunchtime on the day of delivery, not to be cooled down for reheating or freezing for consumption at a later time or date.

Is the packaging recyclable?

All of our hot lunch equipment is reusable: we ask every nursery to clear out and rinse all the containers and put them back inside the boxes, ready for collection the next day.

Can we use you to cover staff absences?

Alongside permanent contracts, we can cover staff holidays or sickness with a temporary service.

How do we place an order?

Our Client Services team will email you a unique log-in to our online ordering system, ZOO (Zebedees Online Ordering). Orders must be submitted by 12 noon on a Thursday for the following week’s delivery.

How do we pay for our order?

We ask for all payment by Direct Debit, within 7 days of the date on the invoice.

What we’re up to

 Receive our quarterly newsletter from Zebedees HQ in your inbox.

 This will include a look behind-the-scenes, as well as useful nutrition tips, menus, interviews, mentions in the press and much more.

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