How to carry cottage pie?

[H0PPLE]

Son is heading back to uni and I've made him a few portions of shepherds pie to take back. He will be on train and bus for four hours. I only really have those small light plastic take away containers. Or zip lock bags. Do you think four containers kept upright maybe with elastic bands would work?
He may forget to keep upright?!

4 containers in a carrier bag that’s tied and put in the bottom of his bag/rucksack. Will there be cool packs?

Thanks! I was thinking it would be fine for four hours without cool packs, it's a veggie one. What do you think?

It’s still a meal you would keep in the fridge, so should be transported with ice packs to prevent bacteria growing.

Freeze them in plastic containers. They’ll be solid and will start to defrost on the journey home, thereby staying cold to stop it going off and he can fridge them when he gets home. Will probably need to eat them fairly quickly though if they’ve been frozen.

if they're frozen to start off with then they won't leak either, although I would double bag just to be safe.

I realise you are trying to be helpful OP but this sounds like a pita for him.

The ideal thing would have been a frozen bottle of water to use as an ice pack but I’m guessing he is going back this afternoon ?

Defrosted food needs to be eaten in 24 hrs.

It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. It's a nice thought but sounds like more of a hassle for him than just cooking them himself.

If you just have the 'mince' you could put it into empty screw top plastic bottles and he could squeeze it out and top with mash himself at the other end?

It's a nice thought but honestly, I wouldn't bother.

Poor lad, does he even want 4 tubs of pie to cart around?

Yeah it's gonna spill. I would teach him how to make it if it is a meal he particularly likes.

Would be much better off giving him a voucher for whatever supermarket is local , this idea sounds like a PITA

solves the spillage issue but I honestly couldn't squeeze out and eat four bottles of cottage pie filling that I'd been carrying around. Imagine if he lost his bag and someone found four bottles of cottage pie inside 😂

OP, this sounds like an absolute pain in the arse and an embarrassment for the lad. I'd just give him some money to go buy some food. I really would not be delighted if my mum did this to me. They will almost certainly leak/defrost/spill on the journey and be far more hassle than they're worth. I know you mean well but really, don't do it.

You could make it piping hot and put it into a hot food flask? Not 4 though!

Oh gosh! He wanted them! He asked for them! We worked it out anyway. Thanks

Op ignore the moans on here. Upright stack, wrap a towel around it and put in his rucksack. Of he chucks his bag about it's his own fault but I'm sure he won't.