JDW named best place for healthy family meal

Charity group The Soil Association’s Out To Lunch ​campaign said JDW had done a fantastic job by topping the league table with a great range of healthy and sustainable children’s meals in sizes to suit all appetites.

Its menu offers organic fruit juice, free-range eggs, sustainable fish and a great range of veggie and vegan options.

Kids are also given a free piece of fruit with every meal and all the options for bigger kids come with the option of two portions of vegetables.

It also said JDW had committed to serving two portions of vegetables with every children’s meal from June 2020.

Room for improvement

However, there was still room for improvement with the pub group’s offer as the research stated customers would like to see some higher welfare meat on the menu.

It also stated not many of the meals were freshly prepared and cooked for the first time at the sites, and diners called for menus or ingredients to change to incorporate more seasonal British produce.

JDW spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We are proud to be listed at the top of the table ahead of so many other restaurant and pub groups.

“We place great emphasis on serving a great range of quality meals for children in our pubs. The meals are enjoyed by the children, and parents are equally impressed with the food on offer.

“We will continue to work hard to ensure our children’s meals continue to be the best in the industry.”

Nutritionally balanced

The campaign is calling on operators to take further steps in a bid to improve service and food they offer children.

This included serving two portions of vegetables with every child’s meal, making water freely available and stopping the service of sugary drinks to children, serving children’s portions of adult dishes (ensuring they are healthy and nutritionally balanced) and using quality ingredients, such as free range and organic.

However, JDW wasn’t the only pub group to be on the list with Harvester in third place, Brewers Fayre at number seven and Hungry Horse at 16.