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Offers can change at short notice. Please check the restaurant’s official terms before visiting.
UK restaurants, cafés, pubs and supermarkets where children can eat free or for around £1 — including free breakfasts, school-holiday offers and year-round deals.
Offers can change at short notice and may vary by location — always check the restaurant’s own terms before visiting.
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Summer offers have ended — here’s what’s still running
The new school year is beginning across the UK and most summer deals have now expired, so the kids’ menu prices that dropped to 88p over the holidays are back to £1. Plenty is still running year-round though: Asda, Morrisons, Dobbies, IKEA, Bella Italia, Café Rouge, Turtle Bay and every one of the free hotel breakfasts are unaffected by the school calendar. 27 of the 47 deals below are running right now. The other 20 are marked with an amber “check first” flag — they’ve paused between holidays rather than disappeared, and each card says when it’s expected back.
The next big window is October half term. Most of England and Wales breaks 26 to 30 October and most of Scotland 12 to 16 October, but dates vary a lot — some English councils take a full fortnight, Scottish councils differ widely, and Northern Ireland sets its own Halloween closures — so check your own school or council. Chains usually announce a week or two beforehand.
Supermarket
Kids eat for £1 all day, every day, all year — with no adult spend required. Hot meals come with a free piece of fruit, under-18-month-olds get a free Ella’s Kitchen pouch with any purchase, and there’s a £1 cold pick-and-mix too. One £1 meal per child per day.
Supermarket
One free kids’ meal (main, fruit and a drink) with every adult café meal over £5, all year — one of the few big supermarket deals the school calendar doesn’t touch. The free Kellogg’s breakfast runs alongside it: a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit for kids and adults alike, nothing to buy, just ask for a “Kellogg’s breakfast” at the till. Dates now confirmed to 6 September, then 12 October to 1 November and 21 December to 3 January. Excludes café specials.
Supermarket
One kids’ hot main or children’s lunch bag for £1 — normally £3.25 — when you buy an adult hot main from £5.20 in the same transaction. The kids’ meal is a main with three sides, or a sandwich lunch bag, and comes with a drink and a piece of fruit. No app or code needed. Extra portions and trade-ups aren’t included.
Supermarket
The summer run finished on 1 September and Tesco has not announced an autumn window yet. When it returns, it is one free Kids Hot Meal Deal, Kids Breakfast or Pick ’N’ Mix per adult item bought, and the adult item can be anything, even a 65p piece of fruit. Runs at over 330 cafés and needs a Clubcard scan. Tesco has brought it back for most school holidays, so check again before October half term. Free Fruit for Kids at the checkouts is separate and unaffected.
Garden Centre
One kids’ meal or breakfast for £1 from the children’s menu, per adult traditional, vegetarian, vegan or full breakfast, or main course lunch — back to £1 now the summer VAT cut has ended. A child’s drink is included. Watch the times: it runs every day until 3pm, and the breakfast version only until 11.30am, in line with serving times. A £1 supplement applies to the kids’ Sunday roast. No code needed. Not available at Beaconsfield, Hungerford, Keston, Andover, Lelant, Marple, Sandyholm, York or Anker Wood.
Restaurant
The every-day summer run finished on 1 September, but the year-round deal carries straight on: kids eat free all day Sunday to Thursday, every week of the year, with one adult main bought per child — three courses and a drink. No voucher needed, but tell your server when you order and again when you pay. Outside the offer, the Smaller menu starts at £7.49 and the Larger menu at £9.49. Excluded at Center Parcs sites, Birmingham, Edinburgh Northbridge and a long list of central London restaurants including Cranbourn Street, Strand and South Kensington, so check yours first.
Driving to one of these?
Check the cheapest petrol and diesel prices near you before you set off — free to use at PetrolPrices.co.uk.
Restaurant
Up to two free kids’ meals with one adult main, all day every day, redeemed with a code from the free ASK Perks app. Children get a starter, main, dessert and a babyccino, normally £7.95. Dine-in only, and it can’t be stacked with Tastecard, Tesco Clubcard or a set menu.
Restaurant
England and Wales only — the Scottish and Northern Irish windows finished in August. A free three-course Bambini meal with every adult main, all day, redeemed with a code from the Zillionaires’ Club app. Up to six free Bambini meals per table, dine-in only, and not combinable with other discounts.
Restaurant
The summer run finished on 1 September. Frankie & Benny’s brings this back for most school holidays, so expect it around October half term: kids 11 and under eat free with every paying adult main, no code, just say so when you order. One worth checking if you took part over the summer — anyone who completed three qualifying Summer Rewards visits by 1 September keeps 50% off food on every visit until 30 October.
Restaurant
The summer run finished on 1 September. Chiquito only runs this in the school holidays and has done so reliably, so expect it back for October half term: a free Mini Amigos kids’ meal — main, side, drink and dessert, plus veggie sticks and sliced apple — with every full-paying adult main.
Restaurant
There are two versions and it matters which one you use. Kids Eat Free runs all day Monday to Friday, but only during your local school holiday dates. The year-round route is the free Mini Rollers card: show it and the same deal applies all day Monday to Friday, term-time included. Either way it is one free kiddo bento box per child for every £10 an adult spends on food, ages 12 or under, dine-in only. No weekends on either version. The holiday offer excludes airport sites and York Outlet; the Mini Rollers card also excludes Ashford, Belfast, Cheltenham, Glasgow Braehead, Guildford and Leeds, and isn’t valid in YO! Tesco kiosks.
Restaurant
Every Sunday, under-12s get a free meal from the kids’ menu with a drink and an ice cream or sorbet — each adult needs to spend £15 or more, and it’s one free kids’ meal per adult. Dine-in only at every branch; not valid with the Lunch, Filoxenia or Party menus. An optional 10% service charge is added to the bill.
Restaurant
Kids eat free with a full-price adult main for Stripes Rewards members — select the deal in the app, tap redeem and show the code when you order. Choose from the Little League or Major League menus, normally £5.65 to £8.20, or a free kids’ breakfast with an adult breakfast. One free kids’ main per adult main; drinks and desserts charged as normal. Excludes Northern Ireland.
Restaurant
Kids eat free with any adult main, every day between 12pm and 4pm, with no published end date. It can vary by location, so check with your local brasserie before setting off.
Restaurant
The summer run finished on 1 September, and Bill’s has typically brought it back for half terms. When it runs, up to two kids 10 and under eat free — breakfast, lunch or dinner — when one adult orders any main, which makes it one of the better options if you are out on your own with two children. Meals are normally £7.45 each and include a main, side and dessert; drinks aren’t included. Weekdays only, and excludes Heathrow T2.
Restaurant
Kids aged 12 and under eat free — a main, two sides and a dessert worth around £7.50 — with every full-price adult main. Activate Kids Eat Free in the Perks tab of the free My Iguanas app and show the code when you order. Las Iguanas runs this year-round, but some listings gave the summer version an end date of 5 September, so open the Perks tab before you set off rather than assuming. Excludes airports, Center Parcs and event days at venues like The O2, Wembley and Resorts World.
Restaurant
Kids aged 12 and under get a free sourdough pizza with every full-priced adult main at participating pizzerias — Monday to Thursday at most sites, so check your local one first.
Restaurant
A free two-course kids’ meal with one adult main, using a single-use code claimed with your email address — request a fresh code for each visit, and pay £1 to upgrade to three courses. The Prezzo Kids Club is the year-round alternative and carries on regardless: £1.99 a month gets up to three children aged 2–12 a free three-course meal every visit with a full-price adult main, dine-in only.
Restaurant
The last bars finished on 31 August. BrewDog has run this at half terms before, with Scotland and England on separate dates, so it is one to re-check in mid-October. When it runs: one free kids’ meal per adult main (a burger, pizza, salad or regular wings), booked in advance by picking the Kids Eat Free booking type, max 8 adults per booking.
Restaurant
Kids aged 8 and under eat free with a full-paying adult, every day between 12pm and 5pm at this London steakhouse chain, plus an activity sheet and crayons. Not valid on Saturdays at the Bond Street and Oxford Circus branches.
Restaurant
Any main from the kids’ or breakfast menu for £1 with an adult main — and every kids’ meal includes the unlimited salad bar. Add a kids’ dessert for £2. Valid for up to six adults and six under-12s on one bill. You need to claim the voucher first through a Harvester account or the app, so sort that before you arrive rather than at the table.
Restaurant
A kids’ main, carvery or breakfast for £1 with an adult main, carvery or all-you-can-eat breakfast — back to £1 now the summer VAT cut has ended. The carvery comes with unlimited veg, roasties and gravy. Drinks and desserts aren’t included. Grab the voucher from the Toby app first; screenshots aren’t accepted. Valid for up to six adults and six under-12s on one bill, in one transaction.
Restaurant
Kids’ pasta with tomato sauce, a soft drink and a piece of fruit for just 95p — around a 70% saving — with all other kids’ meals £1.50, drink and fruit included. No adult spend needed. Some stores exclude Fridays.
Restaurant
One free kids’ meal per paying adult at this Sri Lankan street-food favourite — typically until 6pm each day, though times vary by branch. Sites include Reading, Oxford, Cheltenham, Bristol, Bournemouth and Bath.
Restaurant
A free kids’ main course for children 10 and under for every adult ordering two à la carte courses, one of which must be a main. This one is ongoing rather than a school-holiday promotion. It runs at selected UK restaurants only — Bread Street Kitchen sites, Heddon Street Kitchen, Pizza East and Bar & Grill Mayfair — but some are all day every day and others weekdays only, and the published lists disagree with each other. Ramsay’s own terms say to phone the restaurant and check before booking, which is the right advice.
Restaurant
The summer run finished on 1 September, though Marco Pierre White sets holiday dates restaurant by restaurant, so a few may still be running. Worth phoning your local one rather than assuming either way. When it runs: a free two-course kids’ meal for under-12s, normally up to £12.50, when a full-paying adult orders an à la carte main, one adult per child. Not available Saturdays after 6pm, and London Steakhouse Co is excluded.
Restaurant
A free kids’ mini meal — one main, a drink and two snacks — with every £5 spent in a Pausa café. One free meal per qualifying spend, all year round, though café opening hours vary by store.
Restaurant
Kids 12 and under eat free for every £9.99 spent on à la carte food: a free Kids’ Buffet before 3pm, or a free Kids’ Meal after 3pm. One important catch — the code KEF has to be entered yourself when ordering through Pizza Hut’s mobile ordering system, and staff can’t apply it if you just say it at the table. Use KEF2 to add a drink and ice cream to the buffet for £2. Two children claiming means two separate bills. Dine-in only, excludes Express stores.
Restaurant
One free child’s meal per adult meal at this Brazilian rodízio chain — weekdays from 4pm and all day at weekends. Grab the voucher from the Preto website before you go; proof of age may be requested.
Restaurant
A free mini pizza for under-10s dining with a full-paying adult at this plant-based pizzeria — cheesy, tomato or pepperoni — all year round, not just school holidays. Without a paying adult it’s charged as a standard 8-inch pizza.
Restaurant
A free Little Turtles kids’ meal, normally around £8, with an adult spend of £15 or more on food or drink — every day, all year, no end date. You need to show a code from the free Turtle Bay app when you ask for the bill, so download it before you go rather than at the table. One free meal per paying adult, under-10s, dine-in only, and not valid on event days.
Restaurant
One free kids’ meal with every full-price adult main from the All Day menu — every Sunday, all year round, not just in the holidays. The kids’ meal is a main and a dessert, normally £7.75, and there’s no code: it comes off the bill automatically. The every-day summer version finished on 1 September, so it’s back to Sundays only. Dine-in only, and not valid at the O2 Arena restaurant on event days.
Restaurant
Holiday Heroes finished on 28 August, one of the earliest to stop. PizzaExpress runs it most school holidays, so it should return around October half term: a free three-course Piccolo meal, usually £8.50, for under-12s with any full-price adult pizza or main, plus a Classic pizza and soft drink for £12 for teens. Codes come from the PizzaExpress website or the Club app.
Restaurant
The summer run finished on 31 August. Burger King has done a long October window before, running well past half term itself, so it is worth checking the app from early October. When it runs: one free King Jr. Meal when an adult buys a qualifying burger meal through the BK app. Cheeseburgers, Hamburgers, Melts, King Savers and Family Bundles don’t qualify, and it excludes motorway services, airports, train stations and holiday parks.
Restaurant
The summer window closed on 1 September; the next one is already published. One free children’s meal for under-12s with each adult main over £14.95, at participating restaurants across all four terminals, up to four free kids’ meals per table. Several are landside, so you can use it without flying. Mention the offer when you order; it isn’t applied automatically.
Pub
One kids’ main for £1 with every adult main bought in the same transaction — a walk-in offer with no voucher, app or code needed. Back to Mondays from 12pm now term has started; it widens to Monday–Friday during the school holidays. Stack it with the Feed the Family deal and two adults plus two children comes to around £17. Sizzling says there is no age limit, but some pubs have turned families away for older children, so it is worth a quick call. Not available with the breakfast or set menus.
Pub
The summer run finished on 28 August in England and Wales, and 14 August in Scotland. Farmhouse Inns runs this at most half terms with separate Scottish and English dates, so check from early October. When it runs: up to two kids eat free with every paying adult — a free kids’ main plus a scoop of ice cream while you have the carvery. Weekdays only. Most branches have free indoor and outdoor play areas, which is the real draw on a wet half-term day.
Pub
Back to the year-round version now the summer run has finished: a kids’ main for £1 with every full-paying adult main, Mondays only from 12pm, with up to two children per paying adult. Larger dishes are £1.50. Worth knowing the everyday deal is the main on its own — the drink and pudding are only bundled in during the school-holiday version, which returns at half term. Nothing to claim, it comes off at the till.
Pub
The summer run finished on 28 August, earlier than most. Flaming Grill only runs this in the school holidays, and its own pages list October half term as one of the regular windows, so expect it back around 26 October. Back at £1 rather than 88p now the VAT cut has ended: one Little Appetites meal with a dessert and a drink for £1 with one paying adult, or a Bigger Appetites upgrade for £1.50. Weekdays only, under-12s, and it can’t be claimed through the Order & Pay app.
Hotel Restaurant
Up to two kids under 16 get free unlimited breakfast with every full-paying adult breakfast, daily all year — the adult unlimited cooked breakfast is £11.99, or £9.99 for unlimited continental. Outside breakfast there’s a three-course kids’ menu at £6.49, with at least two of their five-a-day in every main, and a kids’ Sunday roast at £4.99. Worth joining the mailing list — they email kids-eat-free vouchers during school holidays. Blue Light and Defence Discount holders get 25% off year-round.
Hotel Restaurant
Up to two kids under 16 eat breakfast free when an adult orders a full Premier Inn Breakfast or a Meal Deal — and you don’t need to be staying at the hotel. This is the year-round one and it carries on as normal. The separate Kids Eat Free lunch and dinner offer at selected Premier Inn restaurants was a summer promotion and ended on 1 September. The Full Premier Inn Breakfast — unlimited cooked and continental, drinks included — is £11.99, with unlimited continental at £9.99; prices are higher at a few sites and a handful of hotels don’t serve breakfast at all.
Hotel Restaurant
Up to two kids under 16 eat breakfast free with every full-paying adult breakfast, every day. Worth joining the Table Table mailing list first — they’ve been emailing subscribers kids-eat-free vouchers this summer, which beats the £5.99 kids’ menu outright.
Hotel Restaurant
Up to two kids under 16 get a free breakfast with each full-paying adult breakfast, every day of the year, plus a two-course kids’ menu from £4.99. Their newsletter regularly includes a free kids’ meal voucher during the school holidays, so it’s worth signing up now rather than the week before half term.
Hotel Restaurant
Up to two kids under 16 get breakfast free with every full-paying adult breakfast across the Whitbread Inns pubs, all year. The two-course kids’ menu runs from £4.99 as standard. Same deal applies across the wider Whitbread family — Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, Bar + Block and Premier Inn hotels.
Hotel Restaurant
Up to two kids under 15 get breakfast for £1 each with an adult unlimited cooked breakfast, which starts from £9.99. No overnight stay needed — walk-ins are fine — and it’s applied automatically with no code. Ongoing, all year. Doesn’t apply to Breakfast To Go, and breakfast hours vary by hotel, so check yours first.
Hotel Restaurant
One child eats free from the kids’ menu per adult main at the Pub & Grill, claimed through the free Village Rewards app — so download it before you go. Weekdays only, and Village Blackpool is excluded.
Hotel Restaurant
Under-5s always eat free with any adult meal — breakfast, lunch or dinner, all year round. Room service and afternoon tea are excluded, and it isn’t always advertised, so just ask.
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Deals are listed in good faith and checked regularly, but offers, dates, participating locations and terms can change without notice — and some venues may be excluded. Always confirm the details on the restaurant’s own website (linked on each card) before making a special trip. NewMums.com is not affiliated with the venues listed and receives nothing for including them.
Something for you
The deals above are for the children. These two are for you — both supermarket baby clubs are free to join, and both come with a free treat in the café.
A free slice of cake, pastry or fruit pot with any hot drink at the weekly parent & baby mornings.
Members also get 10% off babygrows until your child turns 2. Cafés are breastfeeding-friendly with baby-changing facilities. Running in over 200 M&S Cafés — scones are excluded. Worth knowing on the same visit: the Kids’ Munch Menu is back to its usual £4.80 now the summer VAT cut has ended — a main, a snack, a drink and a free piece of fruit, with vegetarian and Eat Well options.
A free club for parents of under-5s, with offers, hints and tips and exclusive freebies — including café treats such as a free slice of cake with a hot drink.
Offers rotate, so check the More app before you set off — and not every Morrisons has a café.
If money is tight
A restaurant deal only helps if you can afford the adult meal. These schemes are properly free — and every year thousands of families who qualify never claim them, usually because nobody told them the help existed.
Up to £9.30 a week
A prepaid card topped up every four weeks to spend on plain cow’s milk, infant formula, and fresh, frozen or tinned fruit, vegetables and pulses.
Who can get it: You’ll usually need to be on a qualifying benefit. On Universal Credit that normally means monthly take-home pay from work of £408 or less. If you’re under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant, you qualify until your baby is born whether or not you get benefits.
Rates went up on 6 April 2026 — a lot of websites (including some supermarkets’ own pages) still show the old £8.50 and £4.25 figures. Use the same details as your Universal Credit claim when you apply; a mismatch can hold the application up.
Up to £11.20 a week
Scotland’s replacement for Healthy Start — a prepaid card for milk, eggs, pulses and fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables.
Who can get it: You or your partner must get a qualifying benefit such as Universal Credit. Under-18s who are pregnant qualify without one. One application covers both Best Start Foods and the Best Start Grant.
Free holiday club + a free meal
Government-funded holiday clubs offering a free healthy meal every day alongside sports, arts and other activities — the biggest free-food offer of the school holidays, and the one most families miss.
Who can get it: For children who get benefits-related free school meals. Universal infant free school meals (Reception to Year 2) don’t count on their own — you have to be registered for the means-tested kind. Councils can also use up to 15% of their funding for other children who’d benefit, including those with SEND.
Now the new term has started, this is the one worth checking early. HAF eligibility did NOT widen alongside the September free school meal expansion — it stays tied to “targeted” free school meals (Universal Credit with household earnings of £7,400 or less), so a child who became newly eligible for a free lunch this September will not automatically get a HAF place. The core programme funds Easter, summer and Christmas, so the next guaranteed window is the Christmas holidays, though a good number of councils now fund October half term too. Places are limited and go fast — search your council’s website for “HAF” now rather than in half-term week.
Now widened — apply, don’t wait
The expansion took effect on 1 September 2026. Free school meal eligibility in England now covers every household receiving Universal Credit, whatever you earn. Over half a million more children qualify, worth around £495 a year each. Eligibility still has to be claimed and verified — the process varies, and while some councils auto-award where they already hold enough information, most expect you to apply.
Who can get it: Apply through your local council, whatever your child’s year group. The two categories matter: both get the free lunch, but only the targeted kind unlocks pupil premium funding for the school, free holiday club places and things like home-to-school transport. If your earnings are below £7,400 make sure that’s reflected in your claim.
Two things to watch now it’s live. Applications aren’t instant — councils have to verify them, so a child applied for this week may not appear on the school’s list straight away; chase the school office if nothing has happened. And because HAF stays tied to targeted free school meals, some families whose circumstances have changed may find they keep the free lunch but no longer qualify for holiday club places.
Free nappies, clothes & equipment
There are more than 400 baby banks across the UK, quietly handing out the things new parents need most — nappies, wipes, toiletries, clothes, cots, buggies and highchairs.
Who can get it: Most baby banks need a referral from a professional — your midwife, health visitor, GP, children’s centre or school can make one. Ask; they do this all the time and won’t think twice about it.
Emergency food parcels
If money has run out this week, a food bank can provide an emergency parcel with at least three days of food, plus practical advice and help with benefits.
Who can get it: You’ll normally need a voucher first. Your health visitor, midwife, GP, school or Citizens Advice can issue one — the Trussell site lists the referral agencies for each food bank.
If you're struggling to feed your family this week, please ask your midwife or health visitor — they can refer you to a food bank and a baby bank on the spot, and they do it every single day. It isn't a mark against you and it won't go on any record that follows you around. Figures on this page were checked on 2 September 2026, but benefit rates and scheme rules do change, so use the official links to confirm what you're entitled to.
Good to Know
Now the summer holidays are over, the year-round deals are the ones to rely on. Morrisons Café, Bella Italia (Sunday to Thursday), Café Rouge, Las Iguanas, Turtle Bay, Purezza, Angus Steakhouse, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, Franco Manca, Preto, Future Inns and Pausa at Dunelm all run without a holiday window, and YO! Sushi does too on weekdays if you pick up a free Mini Rollers card, and there are free kids’ breakfasts every day at Brewers Fayre, Premier Inn, Table Table, Cookhouse & Pub and Whitbread Inns. The Real Greek and Banana Tree do Sundays. If you want cheap rather than free, Asda Café does £1 kids’ meals with no adult spend at all, IKEA starts at 95p, and Dobbies, Sainsbury’s, Travelodge, Sizzling Pubs and Hungry Horse all do £1 deals. The bigger school-holiday names — Tesco Café, PizzaExpress, Burger King, Bill’s, Chiquito, Frankie & Benny’s, Flaming Grill and Farmhouse Inns — have paused until October half term.
Usually, yes — most offers need an adult main meal or a minimum spend. There are exceptions: Asda Café’s £1 kids’ meals and IKEA’s 95p children’s meals need no adult purchase at all, Tesco’s offer only needs any adult item (even a single piece of fruit), and Morrisons’ free Kellogg’s holiday breakfast needs no purchase either. It is always worth checking the adult prices first — a cheaper café with no kids’ deal can sometimes beat a pricey restaurant with one.
Yes, and school holidays are when most of the limited-time offers run. The summer 2026 offers have now almost all finished. PizzaExpress, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill stopped on 28 August, Burger King and BrewDog on 31 August, and Tesco Café, Bill’s, Chiquito, Frankie & Benny’s and the Heathrow restaurants on 1 September. A handful were still running into the first week of September: Pizza Hut to 2 September, then Harvester, Toby Carvery, Prezzo and Village Hotels to 4 September, and ASK Italian, Zizzi, TGI Fridays and The Coconut Tree to 6 September. Each card above shows a live countdown, so check there rather than here for what is still open. The next window is October half term, but there is no single UK-wide week. Most schools in England and Wales break 26 to 30 October, and most of Scotland 12 to 16 October, though Scottish councils vary widely, some English councils take a full fortnight, and Northern Ireland sets its own Halloween closures rather than following the England and Wales week. Check your own school or council. Chains tend to announce only a week or two beforehand, so check back in early October. Dates also vary by nation: Zizzi and ASK Italian ran different windows in Scotland and Northern Ireland this summer.
Yes, and they are the most dependable ones because they mostly ignore the school calendar. Morrisons Café gives a free kids’ meal with any adult meal over £5 all year. Asda Café does £1 kids’ hot meals all year with no adult spend at all, which makes it the cheapest option on this page if you are not eating yourself. Sainsbury’s Café does £1 kids’ meals with an adult hot main from £5.20. Tesco Café is the seasonal one — its Kids Eat Free run ended on 1 September and it has usually returned for the next school holiday. Morrisons also runs a completely free Kellogg’s breakfast, a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit for adults and children alike with nothing to buy: it runs to 6 September, then 12 October to 1 November, then 21 December to 3 January. One warning: plenty of supermarket cafés have closed in recent years — only around 205 Asda stores still have one — so check your local branch has a café before making a special trip.
Beyond the restaurant deals on this page, the government funds free holiday clubs in England through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. Children from Reception to Year 11 who receive benefits-related free school meals get a free place, a free healthy meal every day and activities like sports and arts. The core programme covers Easter, summer and Christmas, so the next guaranteed run is the Christmas holidays, but a good number of councils now fund October half-term sessions as well — worth checking yours now rather than in half-term week, because places fill fast. Funding is confirmed at over £200 million a year through to 2029. One important catch: HAF eligibility did not widen alongside the free school meals expansion that took effect on 1 September 2026. It stays tied to the older, means-tested threshold, so a child who became newly eligible for a free school lunch this September will not automatically get a HAF place. Places are booked through your local council, so search its website for HAF.
The government temporarily cut VAT on children’s meals eaten in from 20% to 5%, from 25 June to 1 September 2026, under its Great British Summer Savings scheme. Chains including Greene King, Hungry Horse, Flaming Grill, Toby Carvery and Dobbies passed the saving straight on, which is why £1 deals rang up at 88p and £1 upgrades at £1.31. That scheme ended at midnight on 1 September and HMRC told businesses to switch their tills back to 20% from 2 September, so those prices have now returned to £1. Nothing else about the deals changed — the offers themselves are the same, just at the old price. If you see 88p still showing on a menu or a third-party listing, it is out of date.
Yes — it took effect on 1 September 2026 and it is a big change in England. Every child in a household receiving Universal Credit can now get free school meals, whatever the household earns; the old £7,400 earnings cap has gone. Over half a million more children qualify, worth roughly £495 a year each. Three things to know. First, eligibility has to be claimed and verified rather than granted automatically. Some councils auto-award where they already hold enough information, but most expect an application, so check with yours rather than assuming. Second, applications take time to verify, so a child registered this week may not appear on the school’s list straight away; chase the school office if nothing happens. Third, there are now two categories. Targeted free school meals covers Universal Credit households earning £7,400 or less and still brings pupil premium funding for the school, holiday club places and help like home-to-school transport. Expanded free school meals covers everyone else on Universal Credit and provides the lunch itself but not those extras. If you were turned down under the old rules, reapply.
Since 6 April 2026 the card is topped up with £4.65 for each week of your pregnancy from week 10, £9.30 a week for a child from birth to their first birthday, and £4.65 a week for each child aged 1 to 4. You can spend it on plain cow’s milk, infant formula, and fresh, frozen or tinned fruit, vegetables and pulses, and you can also get free Healthy Start vitamins. Watch out for websites still quoting the old £8.50 and £4.25 rates. In Scotland the equivalent scheme is Best Start Foods, which pays £11.20 a week for a baby under one and £5.60 a week during pregnancy and for children aged 1 to 3.
Yes — a couple of the supermarket baby clubs include a café treat for the grown-up. M&S runs parent and baby mornings every Tuesday from 9.30am to 11.30am in over 200 of its cafés, where members of the parent hood get a free slice of cake, pastry or fruit pot with any hot drink. Morrisons has a free Baby & Toddler Club for More cardholders with children under 5, which includes rotating offers and freebies, café perks among them. Both clubs are free to join and the offers are separate from the kids-eat-free deals listed on this page.
Speak to your midwife or health visitor — they can refer you to a food bank for an emergency food parcel, and to a baby bank for free nappies, clothes and equipment. There are over 400 baby banks in the UK. It is what they are there for and they will not judge you for asking. It is also worth checking whether you qualify for NHS Healthy Start (or Best Start Foods in Scotland), as thousands of eligible families never claim it.
We review the offers regularly, especially at the start and end of each school holiday, and show a “last checked” date on every deal. Every deal here was re-checked on 2 September 2026 against each chain’s own website or terms, the day after the summer offers and the temporary VAT cut both ended. Where an offer has finished but the chain usually brings it back, we leave the card in place with an amber “check first” flag and a note on when it is expected, rather than deleting it or leaving it looking live. The next full review is due in early October, before half term. Offers still change at short notice, so always confirm the terms on the restaurant’s own website before setting off.
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