How parents can get free food and meals during the school summer holidays
TAKE a break from cooking and let someone else rustle up meals for you kids over the summer holidays.
Keeping children well-fed and entertained during the long school break can be a strain on time and household budgets.
But there is a huge range of deals on offer that mean that you can go out for breakfast, lunch or dinner and pay little or nothing at all for little ones.
More and more chains now run “kids eat free” or “kids eat for £1” pffers over the holidays.
And many of these joints will also offer free colouring or activity packs too, making it the perfect choice for keeping the kids occupied on a budget when you’re feeling a little frazzled.
Typically, an adult needs to buy a meal or spend a set amount to qualify for the deals – though this isn’t always the case, with exact terms and conditions varying by restaurant.
Here is a rundown of what’s available…
Asda
Children can eat for £1 in Asda’s 205 cafes and there’s no minimum spend or requirement to purchase an adult meal to get the offer.
Plus, the deal is not limited to the holidays.
The kid’s menu includes penne pasta with meatballs, fish fingers, chicken nuggets and all-day breakfast. The hot meal also comes with a piece of fruit.
Or, kids can choose from a pick and mix selection of sandwich, drink and piece of fruit.
Banana Tree
Every Sunday, you can get a kid’s free meal and kids’ dessert with each adult main ordered.
The children’s menu features dishes such as chicken katsu curry and sweetcorn fritter balls.
Bella Italia
Kids eat free all day every Thursday and for £1 between 4-6pm Sunday to Wednesday when an adult meal is bought at the chain.
The deal includes three courses plus a drink.
Under the promotion, you get one free child’s meal with each paying adult.
Bill’s
Up to two kids can eat free all day until August 30 when one adult orders any main dish from the breakfast, lunch or dinner menu.
The offer runs Monday to Friday and excludes weekends and is valid for children under 10.
The children’s menu features the likes of buttermilk pancakes, mac and cheese and fish fingers and chips.
Brewers Fayre and Beefeater
You can get two free breakfasts for kids under 16 with every adult £10.99 breakfast meal bought at Brewers Fayre. This is ideal for single parents or larger families as you can feed three for £10.99.
The chain also has a separate ‘feed the family’ for £20 offer running over the summer until August 31. Under the deal, you can get two adult mains and two kids’ meals for £20.
Dobbies
You can get a free children’s hot meal or pick n mix lunch box, plus a drink, with any adult main at Dobbies garden centre cafes. The offer runs every day and isn’t limited to holidays with restaurants are open Monday to Sunday.
Dunelm
Spend £4 in Dunelm’s Pausa cafes and you can get a free mini meal for kids.
The offer is available all day every day.
How to save money on pizza
TAKEAWAY pizzas taste great but they can hit you hard on your wallet. Here are some tips on how to save on pizza:
Cashback websites – TopCashback and Quidco will pay you to order your pizza through them. They’re paid by retailers for every click that comes to their website from the cashback site, which eventually trickles down to you. So you’ll get cashback on orders placed through them.
Discount codes – Check sites like VoucherCodes for any discount codes you can use to get money off your order.
Make you own topping – One savvy customer noticed that Domino’s charges up to 70p MORE for pizzas on its menu compared to ordering the same one through the “create your own” option. It’s worth trying out to see if it makes a difference before you place your next order.
Buy it from the shops – It might not taste exactly the same but you’ll save the most money by picking up your favourite pizza from your local supermarket. Some Asda stores sell freshly made ones from the pizza counter where prices start at £2.
Franco Manca
Little ones under 12 get a free kids pizza for every full-riced adult main meal at the pizzerias.
Not all branches take part in the offer so it’s a good idea to ring ahead and check whether your local has the offer.
Hungry Horse
Your little angels can tuck in to a kids’ meal for £1 every Monday at Hungry Horse.
The menu includes the usual favourites such as sausages, fish fingers, beef burger or tomato pasta.
Or you can pay £1.50 for a larger meal.
Up to two children can get the offer with each full paying adult.
Ikea
Kids can tuck into Mac n Cheese, soft drink and piece of fruit for 95p at the Swedish chain every day, except Friday, from 11am.
Las Iguanas
Download the Las Iguanas app and join the loyalty programme to get a free kids meal with each adult main course.
The menu is only available for children aged up to 12 years old.
The offer is also available all year round and not just limited to holidays.
Morrisons
Get one free kid meal at Morrisons with any adult meal over £5 including breakfasts, classics or the chippy.
The deal is available all day every day for under 16s.
Pizza Express
Kids can feast on a three-course meal including dough balls, pizza or pasta, plus a dessert when an adult buys a main course.
The dine-in only deal is available all day, every day until August 11.
It is one free meal to each adult meal purchased.
Pizza Hut
Feast on unlimited pizza, pasta and salad with Pizza Hut’s kids eat free buffet available every day until 3pm until August 11.
You’ll need to spend £10 on food, order on your mobile and enter the code SUMMERKEF to get the offer.
Note that Hanover St, North Bridge, Leicester Square, Marble Arch, Piccadilly, Russell Square, Strand and Trafford Centre are excluded from the deal.
The Range
Children under 16 can eat free at instore cafes at The Range this summer holidays when at least one full adult main is purchased.
The deal includes hot and cold options, such as sausage and chips or pick n mix sandwiches, as well as breakfast. All child meals include a drink and piece of fruit.
Subway
Buy a footlong sub or submelta in restaurants and you can get a free kids’ meal at Subway in participating branches.
Children will get a four-inch sub, snack and drink under the promotion which runs to August 25.
Check if your local branch is taking part at subway.com/en-gb/campaigns.
Tesco
Children get a free kids hot meal deal, breakfast or pick n mix sandwich deal Monday to Friday with any adult meal bought in Tesco cafes.
Pick from eggs on toast, and pancakes for breakfast. Hot meals include tomato pasta shells and, chicken goujons.
You’ll need a Tesco Clubcard to tap into the offer which runs until August 16 in Scotland and August 30 in England and Wales.
The Real Greek
With every £10 spent by an adult at the The Real Greek on Sundays you get one free kids’ meal.
The dine-in only deal is available to children under 12 and includes a drink and ice cream.
Yo Sushi
From now until August 30, kids under 12 can get a free bento box when an adult spends at least £10 dining in.
The box includes edamame, mixed veggie rice and a choice of protein
The offer is limited to three children and runs Monday to Friday.
A handful of airport and station branches are excluded from the deal – check the details at yosushi.com/kids-eat-free.
What help is available for parents?
CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help.
- 30 hours free childcare – Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours free childcare a week.
To qualify you must usually work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year. - Tax credits – For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs.
- Childcare vouchers – If your employer offers childcare vouchers you can get up to £55 a week in tax and national insurance savings.
You pay for your childcare before your tax contributions are taken out.
This scheme is open to new joiners until October 4, 2018, when it is planned that tax-free childcare will replace the vouchers. - Tax-free childcare – Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.