The average person now apparently eats one in every six meals away from home, meaning it’s more important than ever than our menu choices are healthy.

We all like eating out, whether it’s a slap-up meal in a restaurant or a lighter lunchtime bite in a cafe.

But it can be something of a lottery when it comes to healthy eating. That’s why an increasing number of councils are introducing schemes that reward caterers for offering customers healthier choices.

Suffolk is part of a national scheme called Eat Out, Eat Well that’s open to all kinds of eateries, including restaurants, cafes, hotels, workplace canteens, hospital restaurants and pubs.

The level of award is based on a scoring system that takes into the account the type of food on offer, cooking methods and how healthy choices are promoted to customers. The higher the score, the higher the level of award.

One of the latest recipients is Brandon Country Park’s Copper Beech Tearoom, which has been awarded gold in recognition of its healthy menu choice and the range of food on offer.

Brandon Country Park manager David Falk said the award was important.

“We wanted to show that we’re offering something a bit different,” he said. “We have a parkrun here every week and people coming to the park to walk and cycle on the trails. We wanted to make sure we were meeting their needs. It’s also part of a wider county council ethos that involves tackling obesity and the health issues around that.”

The Copper Beech Tearoom sources high quality local produce from butchers, greengrocers and bakers around the Brandon area. It also uses potatoes grown just a few miles down the road on the Elveden Estate and prides itself on freshly made choices such as gluten-free soups, homemade sausage rolls and vegetarian stews.

Matthew Hicks, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for environment and public protection, said: “I’m delighted that Brandon Country Park has gained this accreditation. It is well-deserved recognition of the work the park has done to develop the tearoom menu and offer healthy options to their customers.”

The Eat Out, Eat Well scheme is administered locally by Forest Heath District Council. Andy Drummond, Forest Heath’s cabinet member for leisure and culture said: “Not only is Brandon Country Park a fantastic place for people to relax the mind and feed the soul, it also has a great tearoom which has demonstrated its utmost commitment to care for the physical health of its customers through the ingredients it uses and the way food is prepared.”

The tearoom joins a growing number of Eat Out, Eat Well award recipients. They include leisure centres, hospitals, police stations and schools as well as restaurants, cafes and sandwich bars.

There’s a similar scheme in Norfolk. The Healthier Options Norfolk Award is a way for caterers to show that they have taken steps to offer healthier options on their menu, such as a choice of boiled or mashed potatoes as alternatives to chips, extra vegetables in servings, fruit-based desserts and wholemeal bread choices with sandwiches.

Further south, there are the Essex Healthy Life Healthy Eating Awards, given to caterers assessed to offer healthy food options.

Healthy Life Essex says today’s children have a shorter life expectancy than their parents because of growing obesity rates.

“Reversing that is a staggering challenge. The Food Standards Agency has been tackling big food manufacturers to reduce salt, sugar and fat in pre-prepared foods. Environmental health practitioners are now tackling high street and office caterers. If business operators are willing to serve and promote healthy food then we want to reward them.”

• Brandon Country Park’s Copper Beech Tearoom is open 10am until 4:30pm (until 3:30pm between Nov 1-March 31). On a Saturday it is open from 9:30am. For more information visit their website.