As February half term approaches and the financial hangover from Christmas still looms amid the cost of living crisis, many parents will be worried about the additional costs that come with having their children off school for a whole week, eating them out of house and home.
While some may find pulling in the purse strings and cobbling together cheap meals will work, others face the very real fear of holiday hunger, with families suffering from household food insecurity during the school holiday.
As a result, a number of well-known cafes, supermarkets and retailers have launched schemes that will allow families to eat for less this half term.
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Some places, like Morrisons, Dunelm and Hungry Horse offer completely free meals for youngsters, while others, like Bella Italia and The Real Greek see children dine in for just £1.
Most of the offers require a paying adult or a minimum spend, but some, like supermarket café Asda have no adult spend requirements to access the £1 meal - and in some places two children can eat for free with just one adult.
From unlimited breakfasts to three course meals, we are hoping that there’s something for everyone to enjoy at a reduced cost this February school break.
Here are all the restaurants and cafes where kids can eat for free or for £1 over the holidays.
Morrisons
Kids can eat for free in Morrisons cafes nationwide all day, every day with every adult meal.
The offer applies with each adult meal ordered over £4.99 and can be used for children under 16. Youngsters can order from the kids menu or the chilled kids snack pack.
As well as the meal, children will receive a piece of fruit and Tropicana Kids Orange or Apple drink or bottle of water. See the website for more details.
Bella Italia
At this Italian restaurant, kids eat for £1 when an adult purchases a main meal. However, the cheap meal can only be claimed between 4pm and 6pm from Monday to Thursday. The children’s meal includes up to three courses and a pressed fruit water.
The Piccolo menu is aimed at children aged two to six years, with the Grande for seven to 11-year-olds. Dishes include meatballs, bolognese, carbonara and pizza and the deal includes three courses and a fruit water.
The Italian restaurant chain also has activity packs to keep little ones entertained during their visit.
To find your nearest Bella Italia, including restaurants at Salford Quays, Horwich and Manchester Arndale, visit the website here.
Asda
At Asda, there are currently two schemes offering families the chance to eat out for less, including a free breakfast for youngsters, as well as daytime meals for £1.
The supermarket has joined forces with Quaker Oats to offer a free bowl of porridge to youngsters during half term, between 8am and 12pm every day.
The partnership is expected to see more than 50,000 bowls of porridge served up to children in 205 Asda cafes from February 9 to 22.
The offer is in addition to the current Kids eat for £1 menu, which includes a choice of one of six hot meals, in selected cafes, or a cold pick and mix meal deal, which includes get a sandwich, a drink, a piece of fruit, a fromage frais yoghurt and a treat item.
Depending how long you're shopping in the store, you could get your children breakfast on arrival, then get them a warm meal for £1 before you go, or take the cold option with you.
Children aged 16 and under can access the deal, originally designed to tackle school holiday hunger. Other offers from Asda include free Ella’s baby food pouches for children under 18 months with any purchase, and 10 per cent off for over 60s on Wednesdays. See the website for more details.
Dunelm
If you're having to take the kids cushion shopping, or are hoping to pick up some new bits for the garden, then you could always stop off at Dunelm's Pausa Cafe over the holidays.
Kids eat for free at Dunelm when an adult spends £4 or more at the Pausa Cafe. Kids can get a free mini main, two snacks and a drink for every £4 spent after 3pm Monday to Friday.
YO Sushi
If your child is under the age of 10, they’ll be able to eat for free on selected dates at YO Sushi. The chain is offering youngsters a free meal when an adult spends £10 or more between February 13 and February 24.
Kids can tuck into one of the kiddo bento boxes for free, with a maximum of three children per booking.
YO!’s mini bento boxes contain a main, side and drink, as well as a side of popping edamame beans, and usually cost £7.30. And don't forget to check the back of the menu for puzzles, quizzes and stuff to draw while you're waiting for your food to hit your table.
Dobbies
Half term is the perfect time to visit the garden centre and pick up some essentials ready for the spring. When visiting Dobbies Garden Centre cafes, children eat for free when an adult purchases a main meal.
The offer includes the kids lunch menu or pick ‘n’ mix meal, plus a drink, and is available daily from noon.
The pick ‘n’ mix meal, worth £5.20 allows little ones to choose from a ham, cheese or tuna sandwich, three snacks from jelly, crisps, biscuits and banana loaf, followed by a drink like a Capri-Sun or Innocent smoothie.
Sizzling
Taking the whole family out for a weekday meal can prove costly, but for every adult Sizzling meal, you’ll also get a kid’s main meal for £1 at Sizzling Pub & Grill venues.
There are loads of venues to choose from, including The Haddon Hall in Droylsden, Henry Boddington in Salford, Wilton Arms in Middleton and The White Hart in Heywood. You can put your postcode in here to find a pub nearest to you.
There’s a huge range of children’s dishes, from fish fingers, to pasta, chicken wraps, pizza and Birdseye Green Cuisine nuggets, promising ‘something for all the family’.
The offer runs from Monday to Friday between 3pm and 7pm, with one £1 kids meal available with the purchase of every one adult main bought in the same transaction.
Hungry Horse
Kids can fuel up on a free breakfast at Hungry Horse venues over the holidays.
The offer, running daily from 7am to noon, is available at all open Hungry Horse pubs nationwide, including the Flying Horse in Heald Green, the Hornet in Rochdale, and the Matchstick Man in Salford.
Little ones can choose a kids breakfast worth up to £2.49 for free when you buy an adult breakfast for at least £3.49, however, there is a minimum spend of £5.98 for the discount to apply, with a maximum of two kids breakfasts free per one paying adult.
Farmhouse Inns
Whether it's Applewood Farm in Worsley, Ash Tree Farm in Ashton, or Barley Farm in Eccles, kids eat for £1 deal is back at Farmhouse Inns.
Children can choose a small breakfast, a kids meal or a junior carvery for a quid and up to two children can eat with every adult purchasing a main meal or carvery.
The deal is only available as an email-exclusive voucher, which means parents will need to sign up to the mailing list to access the offer.
IKEA
During half term children can enjoy a kids tomato pasta and soft drink for 95p - the perfect mid-flatpack shopping pitstop. Any of the other kids meals are also available for just £1.50, all served from 11am.
If you’re an early riser, though, shoppers can enjoy a breakfast roll and hot drink for 95p in any of their restaurants from 9.30am to 11am.
Beefeater / Table Table / Brewers Fayre
Other places kids can enjoy breakfast on the house is at Beefeater, Table Table and Brewers Fayre restaurants. For every adult buying a breakfast, two children under 16 get to eat for free.
The unlimited breakfast includes eggs cooked just the way you like them, and from premium sausages to back bacon rashers, hash browns and black pudding, you can build your breakfast to your taste. AND there’s unlimited tea, coffee and juice.
Breakfast is served daily until 10.30am midweek and 11am at weekends, costing £9.50 for full English and £7.50 for continental.
The Real Greek
Available to all children under 12, The Real Greek are offering one free kids meal for each adult who spends £10 or more when they dine in at their restaurants.
Located inside the Trafford Centre, and at The Corn Exchange in the city centre, the offer includes a kids meal from Kids Menu, a drink and ice cream or sorbet.
The deal will be available from Monday, February 13 to Sunday, February 26, but will not be available to use in conjunction with other offers.
Bill’s
At both their Spinningfields and the Trafford Centre venues, diners at Bill’s can feed the family for less with the return of their Kids Eat Free deal. From Monday, February 13 to Friday, February 24, up to two children can eat a meal for free all day, if one adult orders any main dish (breakfast, lunch or dinner).
The children’s menu features family faves including Bill's famous buttermilk pancakes, mac and cheese, and fish fingers and chips.
Marco Pierre White
Available at Marco Pierre White’s Media City-based Italian restaurant, anyone who fancies tucking into a delicious meal will be able to do so without worrying about the cost of their child’s plate.
Parents looking to keep their children fed and entertained over the half term can head to the restaurant and get a either a starter and main or main and dessert for a child under 12 completely free.
The offer will get one free child's meal for every paying adult main off the à la carte menu.
James Bayes, restaurant manager said: “The current cost of living is hitting the headlines almost daily so we’ve put this offer in place so that parents will be able to take the kids out and enjoy a family meal without panicking about the bill.
“Marco is a family man at heart and understands the importance for families to sit around a table and enjoy some delicious food. And there’s the added bonus of not having to do the cooking or clearing up afterwards.
“The menu hear is also ideal for families with lots of options for younger members of the family and having a free meal while going out to get away from it all helps both ways.”
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