JAMIE Oliver really started something when he highlighted the unhealthy food being served up to so many children at school and sometimes at home too. Now the team at the Kings Arms Hotel in Stokenchurch have taken the message on board and overhauled their Kids Menu.
Head chef Raj Sequeira says: "We are aware that parents are increasingly conscious of their children's eating habits, therefore we do not use mechanically reclaimed meat, and all meals are freshly prepared."
We sent two young diners along to check it out for us: Jade, 7, and Daniel, 11.
They came back full of enthusiasm fabout their experience of a "real restaurant".
Jade said: "The food was lovely and the people were very nice to us."
So did they miss the nuggets and burgers that are so often the option when a family eats out?
Not at all. They tucked into nachos with cheese melt and salsa kids' tastes aren't what they used to be, it seems and then delved into the Kids Menu. For Jade, the choice was simple: sausage, mash and gravy (£3.50). She could have it with her choice of potatoes, plus vegetables, salad or beans rather surprisingly she chose salad, perhaps the sophisticated surroundings were having an effect. She said it was really yummy. Mum was glad to learn that the sausages are hand made by a butcher in Oxfordshire, using 100 per cent pork.
Daniel chose a pasta dish: tagliatelle, bacon and creamy cheese sauce (£4.50). Again chef had been a little crafty, chopping broccoli into tiny pieces to include in his pasta dishes. It got the thumbs up.
Other kids' options are chicken goujons (made in-house from real meat), mild chicken curry, fillet of cod freshly battered here, and fresh salmon pie.
Kids can choose a kid's portion (£2.50) from the dessert menu, and our two went for chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream, which they told mum was much nicer than the ice cream she gives them at home.
With the hotel's restaurant staff making sure children feel welcome and at ease, this seems an ideal way to introduce youngsters to the pleasures of dining out.
While kids have their own healthy menu, adults get a good choice too. A team of Indian chefs work alongside British colleagues, and as a result the menu is an unusual medley of taste options. One member of the family can have an Indian meal (hot Goan prawn curry, perhaps, or tikka masala), while another can choose a mixed grill, lamb chop or fish and chips, or perhaps a salad or pasta. This chef can lay claim to having something for just about everyone.
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