Emergency/packet lunch ideas that aren’t disgusting

[Catspyjamazzzz]

So I am working somewhere I cant get lunch unless I bring it or I drive out to get some.
I’m not keen on going out at lunch so wondering if anyone had found something I can have for lunch and stash in my desk for emergency days. Something you cook with boiling water or a microwave.
Like a pot noodle but not as disgusting obvs!

I keep a bag of porridge for breakfast or snack, tins of soup for emergency lunches and ryvita or crackers for going with it, and I've recently started using Huel for lunch sometimes - you could store that easily in a desk too, just need a bottle/cup with a lid for shaking it. Obviously also store a bowl and spoon for the other stuff.

Microwave porridge pots.

Not fish as some have suggested... unless you have no colleagues. IME most people hate the colleague eating stinky fish!

‘There are some great hearty meal pots. Like bean stew or sausage hotpot thingies.

M&S have some great ones, bloody eyewatering prices but worth it.’

Tesco do these, think approx £2 per tub, my husband loves them.

I have porridge for breakfast so that’s out and I am a bit nervous of sharing fish smells (I eat at my desk!).

I’ll look for a few things this weekend. I will admit to having never eaten tinned pasta! I don’t think we would get on
The last person has left 3 tins of spaghetti hoops

Itsu branded pot noodle thingies are nice, also Sainsbury's own laksa.

Jerky/Biltong if you like that kind of thing.

Uncle bens microwaveable pots are nice

Crackers and babybels

Baking potato with beans/ tuna/ tinned chilli con carne

The "Big Soups" are nice and filling

I have this too and I hate thinking of lunch ideas. I'm taking leftovers or salads at the moment. Is there no fridge or anything? Cauliflower cheese reheats quite well and isn't too smelly

Ooh Ainsley Harriett cous cous is my go to!

Leftovers from the night before?

I had a nice tinned soup from Morrison's - chickpea & spinach soup.
John West do some fish & grain meals in sachets.
Couscous.
Microwave rice - many different flavours.

There is a fridge and sometimes I will make things to take (I don’t find most of our meals make good leftovers, I find cold/reheated pasta repulsive for instance) . But I make enough meals without having to make more for lunch.

I have also been known to make lunch and leave it by the front door etc...hence emergency...

Tins of soup and a sports direct mug (which will fit said tin of soup comfortably).

The bachelors pasts and sauce packets aren’t too bad (I like the cheese, leek and ham) but never tried cooking them in a microwave.

Instant cous cous, the ainslie harriot ones aren’t bad I seem to remember

@icebearforpresident the only problem with pasta n sauce in a microwave is that you have to stand and stare through the door Cos they like to boil over and flood the microwave...

Yeah the M&S ones are good and are about 300-400 calories and are 2 of you 5 a day, stuff like bean chilli and rice, cauliflower Saal, and some hearty soups as well and often on offer buy one get one half price which makes them a bit less eyewateringly expensive!

M&S have great tubs of food such as pulled pork and coconut chicken that just need a blast in the microwave and don't need refrigerated. They're about £3 and are really filling and tasty. I've about 3 of them in my drawer.

Batch cook some dinners, freeze, take to work in a cool pack, frozen and microwave to heat up.

I like the Soulful microwave pots. There's a Moroccan chicken tagine with spelt, and a Sri Lankan vegetable curry one- cauliflower, lentils, lovely spices, quinoa or some other grain. Very delicious. Very filling (and somehow the vegetable curry is only 258 calories). Not cheap- maybe once a week if you're watching the budget. Currently on special offer with Ocado.

Ryvitas (the ones that are sealed in 4s or 5s) and peanut butter - yummy with a banana sliced on top.

Make yourself a few soups/curries/casseroles to freeze in portions and reheat?

pouches.there are some great ones now.own brand lentil and pulses ones.from rice and bearley and quinoa combos.to rice flavours of tomato,curried,chines,thia,.loads of options and they can be straight from the pack or heated in the microwave.
could you not make a big batch of pasta at home and keep bringing it in daily.if you can grab some tortilin packets.they can be done in the microwave boiling with the water.then yo ucan keep some pasta sauce pouches to top it with.
sounds silly but keep eggs in ur draw.you can do scrambled or poached or omelette style in the micrave.
soup tins.
tins of hoops or beans.bring in a packet of jacket pots.

There's a lot of good suggestions on here for quite a few people recommending stuff that you can take it on the day which I don't think is what you want if you're anything like me want something you can leave there for an eternity without it going off in case you forget to pick up your lunch.

Tinned soup especially the hearty big Soup type ones I know pot noodles at great but when you're hungry they will do the trick and they keep very well unopened.
Jerky also keeps well and even when it's opened it will still keep for a couple of days but a packet never last more than half an hour with me.
Whatever you decide to take I would also recommend you have some pepper tabasco and possibly mustard in your drawer too to liven up the more bland things , don't bother with salt as most of this process stuff has got loads of salt in it anyway

I love the way people get all snobby about Pot Noodles! No different from the dried noodles many chinese takeaways, and dried spaghetti that many 'Italian' chains use.

The only instant noodles you’ll ever need

Miso soup
Nakd bars/Dried fruit/nuts
Nut butter
Oatcakes

Packets of flavoured cous cous and the smaller "infusion" tins of tuna - I get mine from Aldi.