Nick Nairn helped Scotland’s care regulator, the Care Commission, highlight the importance of healthy eating for children at its childminding conference in Dunfermline at the weekend.

The Michelin-starred celebrity chef, who now runs his own cookery school in Port of Menteith, near Stirling, said it was vitally important to get the message across to children just how important a good diet is.

He provided one of his chefs, Alan Mathieson, to give demonstrations at the What Is Good Childminding? forum, which took place at Lauder College’s Business Learning and Conference Centre on Saturday.

Nairn said, “It is vitally important that children eat healthily from an early age and learn that healthy eating can be fun.

“Everyone is fast becoming aware of the problems our diet has on the nation’s health and there is no better time to start promoting healthy eating than pre-school care.”

He added that his colleague’s demonstrations were designed to give childminders advice and help on how to prepare healthy meals quickly and cheaply, while still making them attractive to the children.

The forum came on the back of the first national review of the quality of childminding in Scotland, which was published last month.

Ronnie Hill, director of children’s services regulation at the commission, said, “Every single parent in Scotland wants to know that their children are being provided with healthy and nutritious meals when in care.

“However, many find it difficult to monitor what their children are being fed on a daily basis.”

He added that the demonstrations would help childminders meet national standards in devising healthy eating plans for children in their care.

“This is particularly relevant, because healthy eating is one of our key inspection themes this year,” he said.

“The fact that someone like Nick Nairn is willing to give his backing to this event shows just how important this issue is.”

Mr Hill said the findings contained in the recent review were “extremely positive” with more than 97% of parents either “happy” or “extremely happy” with their childminder.