Staff at a St Albans nursery are celebrating after receiving an award for recognition in catering.

Busy Bees in Hatfield Road beaten off competition from 214 nurseries in the Busy Bees group.

Lorraine Middleton, nursery manager, nominated her on site chef Carolyn Lemare who she says "creates delicious, healthy meals freshly prepared each day for the children".

Ms Middleton was presented with the award at the annual Managers Conference and accepted on behalf of her staff, who she said "work hard to achieve consistently high standards and go above and beyond the levels required of them."

She continued: "Carolyn regularly works with the children in fun learning activities, which focus on food preparation, health and safety in cooking, and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. All of our staff regularly sit with the children at mealtimes and provide exemplary role models for table manners.

"This award is a fabulous acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication our staff demonstrate every day in their work with the children, and the results they achieve. All of our children love the different foods they experience at meal times, eat well and often want seconds, which is really the best recognition of all."