Now the summer holidays are over, it’s time for the kids to return to school and for you to return to school lunchbox duty. Over two decades and three kids later, I’m somewhat of a lunchbox pro. The secret? Something that will fill your kids up until dinner.
School lunches don’t change much, whether you’re feeding small rugrats or attitude-filled teenagers, the principle remains the same: good, healthy and filling food. The only difference I saw as the kids got older was that they swapped from leisurely sit-down lunches to ones they could eat quickly to spend more time on the playground.
To be honest, I was pleased when I didn’t have to make any more school lunches. But after nearly two decades of lunch-making, I’ve got a good selection of lunchbox ideas to get you through the school term.
The main
Sandwiches
This is probably the most obvious thing to go in a lunchbox. The filling will probably be dictated by your child, within reason, of course. We could tell you to give your kid a healthy sandwich of cheese and ham with lettuce and tomato on rye, but if your child turns their nose up, the food will just go to waste and little Johnny will go hungry.
Find a few fillings your children like, whether that’s jam, cheese, ham, chicken, lettuce, cucumber, cress, chocolate spread, peanut butter, onion or peppers, egg mayo, or tuna.
To keep things exciting, rotate the fillings, as well as trying different combinations. Try cheese with ham, chicken, onion, cucumber, for example.
You can also make a plain old white bread sandwich look less like a sandwich by choosing a roll, pitta bread, sandwich thins, or tortillas. The change in taste and texture can reignite your child’s love for sandwiches – same food, different appearance. Even for adults, a small change in the type of bread can lift sandwiches out of the land of boring.
Tortillas and pitta bread
If you opt for using pitta or tortilla, you can fill them with fajita beef, pulled pork, or leftover roast chicken.
You can also just take their usual sandwich filling and put it in the wrap or pitta instead.
For smaller bellies, you can buy the mini tortillas to help reduce waste, and for older kids, you can get the full size wraps. One not enough? Go for two or three. Still not enough? Switch to a high protein and (good) fat filling, like meat, egg, tuna, or cheese.
Pasta
Providing your child likes eating cold pasta, you can send them to school with a tub of saucy, vegetable or meat pasta. It’ll definitely save the problem of your child complaining their lunch wasn’t big enough.
Schools won’t let your child microwave their lunch in the kitchen due to cross-contamination, so you’ve got to make sure cold sauce and pasta is something your kids are happy to eat. My own kids wouldn’t touch it.
Remember to send your kids in with a fork, assuming the school allows it. If not, you’ll need to make sure the canteen will let them borrow one.
Pastry
Go classic and pack their lunch with a pasty or sausage roll. You could also pack a pie into their lunchbox, such as a mini pork pie.
You can get shop bought sausage rolls – try and find ones with a high percentage of pork – and crisp them up in the oven or air fryer before packing them into lunchboxes. You can do the same with pasties. Wrap them in tin foil to keep them warm. You can also buy frozen mini sausage rolls; cook them the night before, store them in the fridge overnight, and pack them in the morning.
Homemade lunchables
Another fun lunchbox idea is to make up your own lunchables.
With a box of crackers and a selection of sandwich fillings, you can send your kids to school with an interactive, creative lunch. Choose a selection of foodstuffs your child likes, whether that’s meat, cheese, salad vegetables, or dips.
Cut the fillings into a shape which matches the crackers and pack each into an individual container or tin foil.
Your kid can then make their own topping combos for their crackers, or they can make little cracker stacks. My kids were big fans of crackers and Philadelphia cheese.
Snacks
Time for the extras.
What snacks you pack into the lunchbox depends on the school rules; some schools only allow healthy lunches, meaning you’ll have to save the chocolate and crisps for an after-school treat.
So, assuming your kids’ school only permits healthy lunches, what can you give them as a snack?
Fruit and vegetables
An easy lunchbox idea? A couple of pieces of fruit or vegetables. An apple, banana, orange, a handful of grapes, and so on. As always, make sure it’s something your child likes before packing it.
You can add a small container of sliced fruit and veg, this is great for smaller children, or if you’re packing for multiple kids as it means you can chop and change who gets what for a bit of variety.
For fruit, try slices of melon, chunks of mango or pineapple, a tub of summer fruits, a box of raisins, or a plum.
For vegetables, you can pack a tub of carrot batons, slices of peppers or celery, chunks of cucumber, or a handful of olives.
As a little treat, you could try dried fruit or yoghurt-coated snacks, depending what your budget will stretch to. While advertised as healthy, yoghurt-coated snacks are often full of sugar, so make sure you check the label before you buy.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt was a favourite among my kids. Squeezy yoghurt, Frubes in particular for my lot, or pots are a good idea. You’ll need to remember to pack a spoon. You’ll also need to prepare for a messy lunchbox when your kids get home, particularly if your kids like to leave their rubbish in their lunchbox.
Nuts
This is one for kids who always complain their lunch isn’t filling enough. Nuts are high in fat and protein, both have a high calorie density which will help your kids feel more satiated.
Just be sure to double check with the school whether nuts are allowed; if there’s a pupil with a nut allergy, there might be a ban on nuts on school grounds.
Sweet treats
Providing sweet treats are allowed, you can pack a couple of biscuits, a small chocolate bar, or a little cake bar or cupcake into their lunchbox.
For a healthier sweet treat, try a sugar-free bake. One evening after school, you can keep the kids entertained and get them to help you bake a marble cake with coconut sugar, a sugar-free golden syrup flapjack, or banana bread.
How to pack your lunchboxes
A collection of various size plastic containers will serve you well. Unlike sandwich bags and tin foil, tupperware containers are reusable, saving you money in the long run.
First, choose a lunchbox that suits your kids. If they’re messy and like to leave their rubbish in the bag, choose a lunchbox with organised compartments. There are styles which separate the bag into two, or have a few mini compartments round the sides. Make sure your containers fit the compartments before you buy the bag, though.
Another benefit of plastic containers over sandwich bags is that food will be safe from being squished. Kids drop, kick, sit on, and roughly handle their lunchboxes, so making sure their food remains intact is important.
Pack the heavy stuff at the bottom, working your way up to the light items at the top.
Don’t forget to give your kids a bottle of water, or some infused water or juice to make hydration more exciting.
Whatever you decide to ship your kids off to school with, I’m sure your kids will enjoy it.
