Page 2 | Lunch bag delivery?

Poppy2394 · 2023-03-15T14:14:30+00:00

I had to go in to junior school yesterday and I was so shocked at how disgusting the school lunch (burger, chips and sweetcorn) looked. We pay £2.50 a meal. I don’t have time to make packed lunches - is there an alternative that I haven’t thought of? Like ready made lunch bags so I can send him in with packed lunch but I don’t have to make it myself??

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

flutterbyebaby · 15/03/2023 17:14

WeeOrcadian · 15/03/2023 16:35

Packed lunches take 5 minutes to make, unless you work 23 hour days, you have time.

Also - FYI - sandwiches freeze really well - bag them up, write on the bag then freeze. Take out as needed.
I make a batch, freeze them and they last for ages.

Or get your kid to make their own lunch, depending on their age.

Pre frozen sandwiches are horrible

ODFOx · 15/03/2023 17:24

Pre frozen sandwiches aren't horrible if they are simple: meat or cheese and buttered bread, wrapped closely. They defrost by lunchtime. If you put anything watery in the sandwich it will not work as it gets ice crystals and doesn't defrost well.

Ragwort · 15/03/2023 17:29

It's only on Mumsnet that making a packed lunch is such a big deal ... my DS had the same lunch for almost every day of his school life - one or two ham rolls and a banana. I didn't add cake, crisps, yogurt etc ... none of that is necessary. All food that was part of the regular shopping list.

loudbatperson · 15/03/2023 17:29

I am sure you can find time, it really doesn't take long.

I used to do a lot of the prep while making dinner the night before.

00100001 · 15/03/2023 17:30

"I don’t have time to make packed lunches"
🤣🤣🤣🤣

As if you don't have time to move an apple, a yoghurt and a babybel from the fridge and make a ham sandwich.

00100001 · 15/03/2023 17:31

flutterbyebaby · 15/03/2023 17:14

Pre frozen sandwiches are horrible

Show quote history

They're fine.

raincamepouringdown · 15/03/2023 17:32

You have plenty of time. You're just not viewing it as important enough to actually do it.

You can do it the night before.
You can get up 10 minutes earlier and do it then.
You can have your DCs do it themselves from your selection of 'allowed' things to go in the lunch boxes.

00100001 · 15/03/2023 17:32

00100001 · 15/03/2023 17:30

"I don’t have time to make packed lunches"
🤣🤣🤣🤣

As if you don't have time to move an apple, a yoghurt and a babybel from the fridge and make a ham sandwich.

If you had time to make this OP...you have time to make a packed lunch.

Sandwich, fruit/foghurt/crisps/veggie sticks done.

Hoppinggreen · 15/03/2023 17:44

ODFOx · 15/03/2023 17:24

Pre frozen sandwiches aren't horrible if they are simple: meat or cheese and buttered bread, wrapped closely. They defrost by lunchtime. If you put anything watery in the sandwich it will not work as it gets ice crystals and doesn't defrost well.

I never used pre frozen sandwiches and it still took me about 90 seconds

HanSB · 15/03/2023 17:52

You can also cook some extra dinner and put it in a thermos. I transfer child portions to microwaveable containers and in the morning, pour boiling water in thermos and microwave the food. Tip out water and put the food in thermos, all done!

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 15/03/2023 17:58

If your kid has been happily eating it then even if you think it looks horrible, why change it?

School dinners are designed to be appealing to kids, they're generally pretty basic and a bit bland, but kids tend to quite like boring bland food (chicken nuggets and chips, spaghetti hoops, pasta with just cheese, margarita pizza).

If you really really must go to packed lunches, then as has been said a lot above, it's ridiculously quick to make one and if your kid is in junior school there's very little reason why they can't do it themselves. DD is 8 and she can make her own with a little supervision.

Mrs1010 · 15/03/2023 18:04

We all have packed lunches because it would cost a fortune for us all to eat at work/school and I can’t afford it, but I HATE making them. Generally do them the night before, only a 10 minute job but it’s just another thing to do after being at work all day, hanging out washing, cooking dinner, taking kids to clubs, reminding about homework etc so it’s one ‘quick’ job I would really love not to do. Even worse is when you’ve sat down for the evening and then you remember! I don’t know if anyone around here that offers a service like that, and I’m sure it would cost more than school lunches so wouldn’t help me anyway, but I did an article last week about a lady in Australia who offers it! I do remember thinking it was quite expensive but not everyone is as poor as me- we all pay for the things we can afford to make life easier so not sure why you’re getting such a hard time for asking!

WeeOrcadian · 15/03/2023 18:14

flutterbyebaby · 15/03/2023 17:14

Pre frozen sandwiches are horrible

Show quote history

My DC have eaten dozens and never once complained, despite them being slightly fussy with food.

It works well in summer too - no sweaty sandwiches come lunchtime.

MermaidEyes · 15/03/2023 18:19

You have plenty of time. You're just not viewing it as important enough to actually do it.

This is my thought. There's plenty of things parents really don't have time for but 5 minutes making a packed lunch is not one of them.

OriginalUsername2 · 15/03/2023 18:22

Needmorelego · 15/03/2023 14:19

For convenience....supermarket Meal Deal (sandwich, drink, crisps) plus a Dairylea Dunker and a Kit Kat 🤣
Or just spend 5 minutes making a packed lunch.

That’s about £80 a month though!

Needmorelego · 15/03/2023 18:33

@OriginalUsername2 that's why I suggested the alternative of spending 5 minutes making one. Although I suspect some people would happily pay £££ for the convenience 🤣
(I do like those Tesco Mediterranean veg wrap thingys....I don't have them very often though so I'm thankfully not spending a small fortune)

Pjmasksonrepeat · 15/03/2023 18:35

Hi op bakerys near us offer kids lunch box meals but they arent the cheapest to use every day.

I've been getting lots of useful tips on this thread and I know it's not what you intended but thank you!

steppemum · 15/03/2023 18:43

ODFOx · 15/03/2023 17:24

Pre frozen sandwiches aren't horrible if they are simple: meat or cheese and buttered bread, wrapped closely. They defrost by lunchtime. If you put anything watery in the sandwich it will not work as it gets ice crystals and doesn't defrost well.

sorry but I see this all the time on here, freeze the sandwiches for the week.

I cannot think of anything more dire than a sandwich with a soggy corner. As a child I would have refused point blank to eat any sandwich ever again.

Honestly why? Just why would anyone freeze sandwiches.

Favouritefruits · 15/03/2023 18:45

if you don’t fancy frozen sandwiches you can easily decant some prepared cous cous salad or pasta salad into some tuppawear add a yoghurt and a piece of fruit, I can literally make lunch in less than 1 minute and I make it the night before

PinkButtercups · 15/03/2023 18:46

Don't be ridiculous. You have time to make a packed lunch.

elm26 · 15/03/2023 18:48

I really don't understand how anybody does not have time to spend 2 minutes on a packed lunch for their child?

Babybel
Handful of grapes/an apple/pear/banana
Yoghurt and spoon
Pre cut carrot sticks/celery
Mini pack of biscuits
Box of raisins
Cereal bar
Dairylea dunkers

There's just some of the bits you could "chuck in the bag" without preparing and then just pack up a sandwich/roll/leftover pasta etc?

MyBrotherIsATit · 15/03/2023 18:53

take Your child to supermarket weekly and give them the 12.50 dinner money to purchase a healthy mix of lunch items. It’s a win win, the kid learns about food costs and putting a balanced meal together while having lunches he’s likely to eat

cocksstrideintheevening · 15/03/2023 18:59

It takes what 2
Minutes to make a couple of sandwiches for my kids. It's a non issue.

I wouldn't eat frozen sandwiches either, there is no need

ODFOx · 15/03/2023 19:16

cocksstrideintheevening · 15/03/2023 18:59

It takes what 2
Minutes to make a couple of sandwiches for my kids. It's a non issue.

I wouldn't eat frozen sandwiches either, there is no need

Horses for courses.
I've always worked full time: at one point we had 5 DC at home. Two of them require consistency/rigidity and running out of bread was not an option. We're also rural so popping to the shops is difficult once we're home.
I think we eat a lot of stuff that some would consider unnecessary or odd. Eg: my son ate either smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches on white bread with no crusts or cold sliced tongue and cold roast potatoes with a little flask of hot gravy every day from year 3-5 at primary school. I had stacks of frozen sandwiches as they defrosted so well (he wouldn't have tolerated a soggy corner either 😀).

Laquila · 15/03/2023 19:23

Ragwort · 15/03/2023 17:29

It's only on Mumsnet that making a packed lunch is such a big deal ... my DS had the same lunch for almost every day of his school life - one or two ham rolls and a banana. I didn't add cake, crisps, yogurt etc ... none of that is necessary. All food that was part of the regular shopping list.

This is a bit weird...surely you can conceive of some of that other stuff being necessary for a child with a bigger appetite?! My eldest would be pretty.unimpressed with one or two rolls and a banana every day!

OP, I sort of get it - mine do a mix of packed lunches and schools meals, mainly because I find the former a faff and my youngest still gets free school meals. Do you have the option to compromise with giving them pack-ups once or twice a week?

And for some people it's not inconceivable that there might be an extra mental load to making packed lunches, e.g. if they aren't already making them for other members of the household, the kid doesn't like sandwiches, you isn't buy the pre-wrapped things like yoghurts/Babybels/crisps because you don't like the excess packaging etc, you work very long hours etc. Of course people will say they work 27 hours a day and still make a packed lunch in under 15 seconds but people are different...good on you, but life isn't the same for everyone!

My advice would be:

freeze the yoghurt tube things - they help keep a lunch cool as they defrost and you don't have to worry about them going off on the fridge.

get a wipeable/solid lunchbox so you're not trying to keep one of those soft lunchbag things clean - crumbs always lurk in the bottom 😳

get some beeswax wraps or reusable sandwich bags if you're doing sandwiches - quicker than faffing around with clingfilm, I find, and more sustainable.

encourage your kid to move away from just sandwiches as this gives you much more leeway with leftovers!

consider freezing your sandwiches but only a) with fillings such as plain ham, cheese or beef and b) if you think your kid will recover from the emotional trauma (they will).

Best of luck!