The lunch box has landed

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

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I have a confession to make and I need your help. The truth is I’m a boring lunch eater. Yes, in my attempts to save money I unfortunately ended up eating a ham salad sandwich five days on trot.

Work kitchens aren’t especially conducive to elaborate lunchtime feasts. A kettle, a microwave and a toaster is usually the best we can hope for. So how can we break the monotony of work lunches?

If you’re lucky enough to have a great foodie colleague like my boyfriend, then you could try food sharing. A few times a week off they pop to the local greengrocer and buy organic salad, to the bakery to buy fresh bread and to the supermarket to get other deli items. It’s a great way to keep costs low whilst maintaining variety.

Sometimes I buy cheap chinese noodles and take in a handful of beansprouts, spinach and sweetcorn. I then top it with a dash of chilli and soy sauce. Another option is bringing your leftovers from the night before. I particularly love eating a roast dinner sandwich on a Monday, with gravy dripping everywhere. Maybe you could try a moist maker?

So here’s where I hand over to you….do you take anything out of the ordinary to work for lunch? Let me know, I need some inspiration!

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Categories: Discussion

  • http://jeroxie.com/addiction penny aka jeroxie

    I just bring what I had for dinner to lunch the next day. And I usually cook a fair bit over the weekend. Never had a problem with lunch. I bring lunch to work 4 times a week.

  • maricarjagger

    I thought my lunch is boring, but I try to vary my sandwich fillings and they are tuna with varied spices, egg with varied spices, cheese and pickle and peanut butter if I can’t think of anything else. All this punctuated with leftover pizza etc.

    If you have a microwave at work then it’s easy. I do eat a lot of ‘frozen dinners’. I cook something special in the evening or weekend, freeze it and have it for lunch or dinner. Oh, you can have any number of things this way…

    The one I want to try is a bap of shredded carrots with humous and watercress. I’ll let you know how I get on with that.

  • http://butteredcrumpet.wordpress.com/ buttered crumpet

    I usually have lefovers – curry & rice/naan, sunday roast sandwiches, potato salad, pasta salad… and if there aren’t any leftovers to play with I have: oatcakes stacked with cottage cheese, bacon, cherry toms, basil and black pepper, or sometimes I have a bacon and scrambled egg sandwiches made lovingly by my boyfriend (he does them best) and hey, if all else fails, there’s always HOT BUTTERED CRUMPETS mmm

    Nice lunchbox, is it from Paperchase?

  • http://ohgoshem.blogspot.com/ em

    Nothing out of the ordinary – I have been trying my hardest to be super good these days so i am eating salads most days – today was standard-ish salad with some falafel, potato salad and a sweet chilli dressing. I got really bored really quickly of bog standard salads so i try and buy fun things like pine nuts and couscous and falafel.
    Oh and on days i forget – M&S wensleydale & carrot chutney sarnies are the best thing about. {just not that healthy :( }
    I can not have a dry salad.

  • http://www.webstaurantstore.com Restaurant Supply Dude

    The best recommendation is to invite yourself to your mom’s house and if, like me, your mom makes enough to feed an army; you will have leftovers for the week. I’ve been eating sweetcorn pie all week thanks to Mom.
    I also like eating things that gross out most of my coworkers. Bringing a tin of sardines, mashing them up with lime juice, jalapeno slices, and cilantro and eating the result on toast is a good way to have plenty of elbow room in the lunchroom.

    • Becs

      My mum lives 260 miles away :( But she does always pack me up with plenty of goodies when I go home. And she sends MCP’s (Mummy Care Parcels). Last week she sent a bulb of garlic. In the post….you read that right.

  • kate

    can i ask where this lunchbox is from?sorry nt helpful to your post request!!

    • Becs

      Hi Kate,

      I got it from Paperchase, but I bought it last year and they tend to only doing things for one season! They have got a fabulous selection of other similar designs though :)

      Hope that helps!

      Becs x

  • http://thegooddr.wordpress.com Alison

    Bex, please tell me that you own this lunch box, and where i can get one!! I have resigned myself to standard lunches of sandwich & fruit. If i’m organised i might make a loaf cake to take a slice of as a treat! What about making homemade pastry items that might survive the hostile office environment until lunchtime… like a spinach & feta filo pie you could take a slice of, or mini cornish pasties….

  • http://www.nightof1000cranes.blogspot.com Kirsty

    Have you seen http://notabrownbag.wordpress.com/ – it’s a Leeds lady who makes AMAZING bento boxes – they’re usually very simple to replicate (and she’s on twitter and very helpful if you need advice). It’s brightened up my lunchtime no end!