School asking kids to bring in packed lunch

[KurriKawari]

DD12 is back at school in September. Only food on offer will be a "grab bag" of something hot like a panini, drink and cookie. They've suggested kids bring in own lunch to avoid cross contamination and queuing. I'm not keen on a cookie every day so thinking of sending her in with own lunch box. Any interesting ideas apart from sandwich/wrap, yoghurt and fruit? Thanks.

[MrsVMorgan]

I think it depends on her age! If she’s age 10+ I would involve her in the choice of what she has and if she 13 plus get her to make it herself

[MrsVMorgan]

I think it depends on her age! If she’s age 10+ I would involve her in the choice of what she has and if she 13 plus get her to make it herself

[OverTheRainbow88]

Left over food from the night before, cold roast chicken, rice and chilli etc.

Veggie sticks and humous, dairylee dunkers are a hit here!

My son likes the same lunch most days and is quite boring. He has 2 marmite sandwiches, a hot cross bun, cucumber sticks with humours, about 6 chopped cherry tomatoes, olives, chunk of cheese, chopped grapes and sliced apple.

[mindutopia]

I believe our school will be doing the same (or at least, the only options on offer so far are a 'packed lunch' of sandwich, etc.). We will do a lot of sandwiches (because I'm lazy and would really rather poke my eyes out than do a packed lunch every day - she'll probably get a couple days a week of school packed lunch because I'm happy to pay to save me from forgetting). But also thinking about getting a thermos type container to do stews (I make a lentil stew she really likes) or hot pasta. Cold quiche or pizza is another option.

[OverTheRainbow88]

A 12 year old in my Tutor group was allowed to make his own lunch... he had 5 choc bars!

[Atalune]

Hot lunches from. Thermos?
Pasta
Soup
Noodles

Cold lunches
Layer salad that has a separate dressing pot then you add the dressing and shake it up. Layers or rice/pasta/rice/noodles then some cold chopped veg and then some cold egg/chicken/cubes of chorizo.
I’d do cold chopped new potatoes, then some green beans, some black olives, some tuna.
Cold pasta pesto with chicken and a big handful of spinach. Make a lemon pesto dressing.

Or more adventurous bready stuff-
Rolls
Wraps
Baguette

I would try and do an all in one style affair. So a baguette with some of the bread ripped out, loads of cheese and tomatoes and ham.

[Bluewavescrashing]

My school has struggled to deliver hot meals to classrooms at half capacity so I'm not sure how we will cope with full classes. Could you do a mix of school lunch bags and packed lunches from home?

[BrieAndChilli]

Faves on our house

Wraps - chicken and lettuce, falafel, houmous and spinach, tuna and sweetcorn

Cheese and crackers


Fruit of various types. Chopped gets eaten more often than if they have to peel themselves

DD like the beetroot and sweet potatoes crisps you can get in tesco

Make your own cakes /cookies. Can make less sugar/preservatives and add in hidden veg eg carrot cake or beetroot brownies

Carrot sticks and houmous

Tortilla chips and salsa

Sushi

Chicken chunks and a dip.

Small thermos for soup

Homemade pasty

Dried fruit/banana chips

Popcorn

Boiled eggs

[OverTheRainbow88]

Ohh boiled eggs is a good idea! Thank you

[IveSeenThings]

I think most schools are having to go down this route, tbh, as many don't have room to space children in the dining hall/canteen.

[GhostTypeEevee]

@OverTheRainbow88

This could be my son too

[OverTheRainbow88]

The 5 chocolate bar one or the boring marmite sandwiches? 😂

[DisgruntledGuineaPig]

We've also got to do packed lunches from September. I've ordered some thermos food flasks and will add in pasta, soup etc sometimes. A friend suggested baked potatoes in those thermos pots should still be hot at lunchtime as an option. (Then add a cold pot with something like grated cheese or tuna mayo to add to it)

My friends who have to send packed lunches in daily suggest you make sure you have extra lunch boxes/bags as they get lost easily. Label everything.

[KurriKawari]

Thank you all the sound great. Using it as an opportunity to get her to prepare the food is a fab idea too.

[sleepismysuperpower1]

our school is doing this to. A Yumbox would definitely be worth a look, we use it often as you can pack things like yogurt, noodles, dip for veg etc into the different compartments and it is leakproof.
www.amazon.co.uk/Yumbox-Panino-Lunchbox-Kids-Adults/dp/B07BQYFMXC/ref=pd_sbs_201_4/258-9080691-4493066?psc=1&pf_rd_p=2773aa8e-42c5-4dbe-bda8-5cdf226aa078&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=0f1tw&pf_rd_r=BYS8TV0614P7EW3S8E7F&pd_rd_i=B07BQYFMXC&pd_rd_w=otS5O&refRID=BYS8TV0614P7EW3S8E7F&pd_rd_r=ac9b672c-0721-4985-9b82-63ca015cbe3a&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[biddybid73]

There are some good ideas here

www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/helpingyoueatwell/healthypackedlunches.html

[sleepismysuperpower1]

*too

[thunderthighsohwoe]

A lot of children in my bubble this term bought sushi in.

(Primary, if that makes a difference)

[thunderthighsohwoe]

brought

[managedmis]

Standard issue here :

Ham and chesse sandwich
Fruit
Yogurt
Some sort of muffin/cake, with a healthy spin I. E. Banana bread
Cheese stick

Occasionally lasagne in a flask in winter

[sergeilavrov]

My DS takes a bento box with a little thermal nested in it. He usually has sushi, miso tofu soup or leftovers and he’s obsessed with edamame with different flavours. He thinks he is very cool.

I just had a Nutella sandwich and a pepperami when I was a child. Got teased once for having olives. How things change.

[fruitpastille]

I make mine a sandwich and they do the rest. I cba with adventurous options though. Fruit/veg/yog/cheese/biscuit or cake thing that they can help themselves to. DD11 makes pasta pesto to have cold sometimes. I would avoid egg due to the smell.

[Starlightstarbright1]

I wish I could find the picture of when I got my Ds - 12 at the time to make his own lunch .

It was a cheese dipper squashed in a lunchbox

[Sabine123]

My 12 year old son has packed lunches. He has a mixture of:

Pasta or rice dishes in Thermos Flask
Wraps - cheese / ham / tuna
Apples / melon / satsuma
Crisps / Tortillas / Popcorn
Tried yoghurts but they either explode or don't get eaten
Kinder Bars
Raisins
Carrot sticks
Endamme Beans

[happypotamus]

Will you be allowed reusable containers or will all packaging have to be thrown away? DC1 has packed lunches and has been in a keyworker group throughout lockdown. Since May school have said they can't bring lunch boxes etc and all containers have to be thrown away so no lunch boxes/ flasks/ cutlery/ ice blocks to keep things cool. At least to start with it will be the same in September.