If you had £7.50 to buy lunch with what would you get?

[Lovelysummerdays]

I’m allowed to get reimbursed for lunch at work as out and about. General rules are no grocery shops, you have to eat in, so no takeaways. I’ve generally had coffee and cake somewhere but I’m going to be huge if I eat cake everyday. I stopped off at KFC today and had a rice box which was quite nice and probably slightly healthier than cake. Are there any decentish meals from fast food places for £7.50 or less?

Oh and to add to what I said above - I would prioritise food over drinks in my allowance. Either have a glass of water or pay for the drink separately if I fancied one.

From what I can gather from the OP, the time restriction is her own doing, not set by work. She is choosing a 20 min lunch break so she can leave work early and she doesn't want to spend money outside of the 7.50 lunch budget. She is saying that an independent cafe lunch is around £10 but she only wants a 20 min lunch break and doesn't want to add money to the budget

I normally go for their chargrilled chicken burger with potato lattices (I think they call them baked fries). I'd much rather a burger that doesn't have breadcrumbs or batter which is why Leon is a favourite.

It will be to do with expenses/tax rules. The £7.50 is intended to cover necessary additional costs for a meal working away from base, that's more than you would normally need to spend on lunch. E.g. because you have to go to a sit down restaurant rather than getting a meal deal or taking packed lunch. It's to stop people claiming £7.50 a day and just putting it towards their weekly shop and making cheese sandwiches for a week.

Lunches have got more expensive in the last few years to be fair and £7.50 is a bit of a challenge for anything more than a basic sandwich in a supermarket cafe.

edit: the no-takeaways rule seems a bit odd as it's quite restrictive

Yes that's why I was asking which cafe the pp was talking about as the op isn't allowed to buy from grocery shops etc

“If the allowance is £7.50 per day, why do they care where you get it from, that's such a random rule. Even if people were using it to do non-lunch related food buying then it makes no difference to the company really if there is a budget set aside and people are entitled to claim it.“

Because if a company is simply giving you £7.50 a day to spend on any items, then that is additional salary and is subject to tax and NIC.

If they are reimbursing you for lunch bought during working hours against a receipt, then that has a different tax treatment.

It isn’t a random rule.

My favourite Leon dish is the Sicilian chicken meatballs

Great shout 👏

Waitrose meal deal £5
Salmon Globowl
Fruit and a coconut water or itzu drink
Waitrose do the best meal deal!

I’d be worried about possible disciplinary if caught. Claim something in the rules (maybe asking if a lunchtime meal deal could be included) or don’t, but I wouldn’t risk my job for £4/day allowance.

I would be having jacket potato or similar, but I know the cheap but acceptably nice cafes near my workplace.

As well as the tax consideration, perhaps the company are trying to support wellbeing by encouraging employees to take an actual lunch beak, eating lunch. I know offices where it is not allowed to eat lunch at your desk for this reason.

It's presumably an offer and not compulsory to accept this £7-50 a day, or not to much of a hardship to add £1 or 2 which would presumably cover if you brought food from home?

To be honest OP I think supermarket cafe's are your friend. Especially Morrisons. Usually cheap and reasonable choice of food and easy to find in different areas.

Does rather depend if OP is in a town or city, and has a car. Most supermarkets with cafes are on “out of town” sites (M and S a possible exception in larger towns)

Yes perhaps OP could clarify whether she's driving, walking, cycling or on public transport and whether it's a reasonably populated area or wilds of nowhere.

I think she moved around location, but agree - city centre or business park would help with recommendations

Pret salads. I've usually 'taken away' but you can eat them 'in'.

Likewise everyone's saying Pret or Leon but unless you're in a city centre, you're unlikely to be anywhere near either.

I spend time travelling between various industrial estates and its usually a choice between McDonald's, Greggs, Subway or a garage. Perhaps a supermarket, convenience store or chain coffee shop. Or a dodgy looking greasy spoon in a portakabin.

I might be near a Leon about twice a year.

Nearby town center is ringed with supermarkets and I think all have cafe - but town center has load of eating places and my city there's two large supermarket either side of center both have cafe. There's no Pret or Leon in either - but local noodles chain and cheap and cheerful cafes do exits.

Whereas my family nearest town there a tourist cafe, couple of chain coffee shops, hotel and were pubs and nothing else. Out of town shopping center supermarket doesn't have a cafe. They often do out of town garden centers for meals out that aren't hugely expensive.

M&S sandwiches are nice with a piece of fruit or fruit pot and a drink. You might get yogurt too.

Just leaving this here in case people in London/SE don't realise how much of the country is a LEON-free desert. I was astonished they are on every street corner in London. Most of the out-of London ones are at motorway services

Sssh. Someone will put up a map of Booths and then we”ll be overrun by itinerant southerners.

Prêt or Poké bowl even if you have to top up with your own money. Don't let a subsidy push you into something unhealthy.

I don't agree. Prêts pea and mint soup is great.