Culinary experts at Jumeirah Group have created a brand-new kids’ menu to encourage little ones to eat healthily.
After carrying out some global research, Jumeirah discovered that a majority of parents feel hotels and resorts need to provide more healthy dishes for kids.
Out of the 5,500 parents (all of whom have children under 12) surveyed, 79 percent said that an attractive, varied and healthy food menu for children would enhance their holiday experience, while 71 percent of the parents surveyed in the UAE said they face challenges encouraging their children to eat healthily when on holiday.
Chicken nuggets, hamburgers, hotdogs and fish fingers seem to be popular on children’s venues across the world, but their nutritional value is limited.
So, with these figures and feedback in mind, Jumeirah has launched a brand-new menu developed by chief culinary officer and former Michelin Guides director, Michael Ellis.
In order to ensure children’s tastes are catered for, Ellis enlisted the help of little foodies to help him develop the menu.
“Our talented chefs came up with an imaginative menu with a healthy twist that we know children will want to eat, because some little foodies helped us create it. A group of young diners tasted our healthier options, had fun with our theatre on a plate and told us what they wanted from their menu,” said Ellis.
“We have been trialing and researching lots of different options and we’ve put our food to the test and scrutiny of our biggest critics: children, and we found that when prepared and presented in a way to appeal to kids, our dishes with more fruits and vegetables, wholemeal options and less salt were a huge hit. At Jumeirah, we like to do things differently when it comes to dining and always strive to meet the ever-evolving needs of our guests so they can live the moment and make the most of their time with us. FoodieKiDS does just that and is something that will not only give parents extra peace of mind, but also make their stay with us even more memorable,” Ellis added.
The FoodieKiDS menu will be introduced at Jumeirah Beach Hotel first, before being rolled out across more hotels in the chain.
And, best of all, kids under 12 staying at Jumeirah Beach Hotel between now and Saturday October 31 will eat absolutely free as part of the hotel’s UAE Ultimate Staycation package.
www.jumeirah.com/FoodieKiDS.
