The catering team at Tops Day Nurseries have recently made their first pick up from Sopley Salads, a working farm based in Christchurch who grow some of the best produce in Dorset.

Tops’ parents are excited by the partnership, with one who stated:

“This is such exciting news! I’m a huge advocate of teaching our children about where their food comes from and shopping local. Great to see that being extended to pre-school. This really is the future for our local economy – fabulous news!”

Tops are one of the UK’s leading eco-sustainable childcare providers and are big believers in healthy eating. The Top Catering Hub, located within Tops Wimborne, Leigh Road, serves fresh food daily to 12 of the groups local nurseries. They have introduced vegan and vegetarian options to their menus meaning fresh produce is an important part of creating the healthy, balanced meals given to the children at the settings. Tops share some of the recipes served in their settings on their website which include butternut squash risotto, mushroom pie and jackfruit goulash. Perfect for those to have tried out during Veganuary and to continue!

Forming this close relationship with the farm is a unique and exciting opportunity for the nursery to support local business, receive food sustainably and educate their children. All the produce provided to Tops is grown and collected within 24 hours, making it as fresh as it can be and holding as much nutritional value as possible. All produce is grown within 8 miles of the Tops catering kitchen based at Tops Wimborne, Leigh Road and is collected in Top’s electrical vehicle.

Peter Ttofis, catering manager at Tops Day Nurseries, who visited the farm before selecting them as a supplier said: “We are looking forward to working closely with Sopley Salads and are proud to serve some of the best produce available to the children at our sites”.