School dinners v packed lunches

[HintofVintagePink]

My child’s school dinners cost £2.55 a day. Given the rising cost of food I’m not sure I can make him a big enough and nutritious enough packed lunch for the same cost. He is nearly 10 and eats almost as much as DH.
He has always had a packed lunch but I’m considering making the change to school dinners (plus it saves all the lunchbox faff!)
Am I just being lazy and unimaginative or is that reasonable?

I don't think packed lunches are necessarily expensive. E.g. cheese or cucumber sandwich made with wholegrain bread or pitta - approx 35p, yogurt 30p (from an own brand multipack or large pot split between tupperware small pots to cut down on cost), home made salted popcorn (pennies) or packet of crisps (from an own brand multipack approx 20p), carrot and cucumber sticks (cut yourself) 25p, banana or apple 20p, even a home made flapjack could be added if batch cooked with cheap oats and frozen and used when needed. I guess there's the time implication getting it all ready but you can do some of it in one go on a sunday eve. I'm talking about using basic or own brand goods where possible from Lidl or Aldi. Not branded goods which are super expensive (and Asda/Tesco/Sainsburys etc tend to also be expensive in general).

Not unreasonable to go for school dinners - packed lunches are a pain.

But I don't imagine they will give adult size portions, and I firmly think you can make a reasonable packed lunch for less than £2.50 a day.

No useful tips to add other than to remind that of course it’s packed lunch; ie a lunch that is packed. Have images of a menacing group of sandwiches with a packet of crisps in a leather jacket when I see pack lunch. As you were while I head off to pedant’s corner.

I think you aren't being very imaginative if you think packed lunches have to cost more than the school dinner price. Also as another poster said, school dinners are tiny (and shit) for older children. Packed lunches all the way, particularly if you have more than one child. Exception would be for younger children who you can get away with their hot meal of the day being lunch time, then reversed lunch for dinner in the evening.

Tuna pasta salad
Hummus and veg sticks
Sandwich, wraps, pitta
Olives, cold meats, crackers and cheese
Homemade quiche, sausage rolls, scones, muffins, cake, granola bars etc
Fruit
Leftover pizza
Crunchy salad with cheese and walnuts
Soup or ravioli in a flask

You can make ahead and freeze homebaked stuff into portions.

All primary children's dinners cost same price...therefore all get same size meal

School dinner portions are tiny and often parts of it pretty inedible (soggy veg for example) they are of course much lore convenient but you can 100% make a more nutritious meal for less money whether it be cold food ie wraps/sandwiches/pasta salad or soups or leftovers in a food flask.