Reasonably priced lunches for work

[MagicStarrz]

I usually buy myself lunch when I'm in the office but I've been going in twice a week so it doesn't add up so much. From next week, I'll be in four days a week, so I'd rather not spend circa £8 a time on lunch.

The thing is, I'm fussy, so I don't really like supermarket meal deal sandwiches and I tend not to take things in from home but I'm going to need to compromise somewhere. Any ideas?

In the past I used to buy M&S ready meals which cost £7 for 3 or something which is reasonable. I wouldn't mind making a bagel sometimes. I would consider a meal deal depending on what it is. I tend to go for veggie if it's prepacked.

I work in a city centre so there's plenty of choice.

I don't have a specific budget but I'm currently spending £7-9 and would like to reduce this.

Try this book - some of the ideas need reheating but you could use a food flask.
I also buy tinned fish and crackers and keep them in my desk. But I keep other things like salad leaves and yogurts in the fridge at work.

amzn.eu/d/12PI1k3

Assuming there is a kettle at work then mason jar noodles would work - you could prep a weeks worth and keep in the fridge at home and take one into work each day. https://thegirlonbloor.com/mason-jar-instant-noodles/

Or buy a tin of mixed beans in a chilli sauce. In the morning heat up to really hot and put in a thermos as a pp mentioned - a very quick nutritious lunch. You could take a small tub of grated cheese with you to sprinkle on top. Similar meals would be left over pasta with tomato sauce, baked beans with tuna and sweet corn etc.

Throughout my working life, I have taken in sandwiches/ bagels from home with either cheese, hummus, salad, etc fillings. I never put them in the fridge and they are absolutely fine to eat.

When I was nursing I used to take in salad pots which I'd make up at home. The quality is so much better than anything you can buy and obviously less expensive. I made it up the night before and put it in the fridge, but like pp's I didn't use the fridge at work.

Buy yourself some decent pots like these, something robust that won't leak, and a pleasure to eat out of!

Mepal Cirqula Round Food Storage Bowl, 500ml

My pots would be high protein and dense, so were satisfying, e.g.

Cubes of chicken, cheese, ham, avocado, sausage, with couscous, half cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers, with a drizzle of olive oil on before I left home. Lots of colours and textures so it all looked nice!

I buy a stew pack and make veg soup for the week delicious.

I quite like those porridge pots you just add hot water to. Chop a banana into it and add raisins etc?

I do a supermarket meal deal but don’t tend to get a sandwich. The coop near me does some nice salads, a beetroot and feta with grains, or a chicken one with grains and a spiced carrot purée ( it sounds awful but tastes nice) then a couple of boiled eggs as the snack for the protien and a coffee. Tesco does one called eat your greens which has broccoli etc. It costs under £4. If your local supermarket doesn’t hsve a great variety possibly try one on your commute and you could get something nice on the way in?

If you have a microwave at work, which I think that you do, I would not put food into a thermos or similar in the morning and have it kept warm/hot until lunchtime. It risks bacteria growing and it degrades the taste of food when it is kept warm for hours on end. Those are all great if you’re going out for a hike somewhere, but there are better options if you can reheat at work.

Get yourself some Systema Microwave bowls and containers from TK Maxx and use the microwave.

It’s expensive to buy lunch every day and it’s so easy to take food in.

I understand where you're coming from.
We never have leftovers as I only make enough for what we need plus I don't like leftovers or hot food at lunchtime (barring the occasional soup)

At home I have crackers and cheese and salad but when working, I used to get a meal deal from waitrose. Lots of their sushi, salad bowls and poke bowls are included and it's only £5 for that, plus a drink and snack.

The thought of hot pasta in a flask makes me feel a bit queasy!!

Apart from some rare occasions where there was a restaurant on site and (reasonably priced / subsidised) meals available, I took sandwiches for my entire working life and never refrigerated them at work.
I fully understand not wanting to use a shared microwave or toaster as these tend to be nasty, messy things that no-one cleans so I took sandwiches and a packet soup.
My usual was a cheese sandwich although I would occasionally mix it up a bit. A bagel made a nice change from time to time, as did a french stick.

Before I married and was living alone, I would make up a month's supply of sandwiches and freeze them.
You only forgot to take it out of the freezer the night before once! Was still frosty in the middle at lunchtime.😖

I used to take in various recipes for couscous with raw or mixed roast veg that I’d batch produce at home - it was absolutely delicious and happy stored at room temperature. Often I would add a side salad or a little pot of sweet chilli sauce or cubes of avocado.

You can also have an icebrick and take other things in an insulated lunch bag, like a little pot of hummus or cheese cubes.

If I got bored of couscous I might make a roast pepper and hummus pitta, or a lemony potato salad with a side salad.

I found that I didn’t worry about veggie food not being in the fridge for a couple of hours!

Love this. I don't like eating or drinking out of plastic (unless it's single use plastic, weirdly, which is fine) so I think I need a nice round glass bowl with lid but the thought of a nice round bowl makes it appealing

We may be similar OP! I could certainly stretch to a £5 meal deal. I used to like Waitrose meal deals but there isn't a Waitrose near my work any more. There's Sainsbury's, Tesco, Co-Op, M&S all within walking distance.

They sound okay OP. I haven't really been to the co op for lunches so will have a look. There isn't much on the commute though except at the train station which is 2 mins from work anywhere but I do have a few options once I'm in.

Even if I went for a couple of £5 (or less) meal deals and took something in a couple of days a week that would be half what I'm spending now.

The bowl in the link isn't glass but is solid and rigid, and not at all like eating out of a thin plastic tub... these things matter!

As we all know eating is often about perception, so eating your lunch at work from a nice wide bowl is somehow more civilised than a meal deal from Boots!

Just needs a bit of preparation but very do-able 😊

If you don't want to put things in a shared fridge, can you take a coolbag with an icepack in it? Should keep food nicely cool until lunch.
I like to make my own salad to take in with some bread (I make cheese and bacon bread rolls and keep freeze them, then just take one out on the day), or homemade soup (you could take in a thermos) with a bread roll, or a crisp sandwich. I often take in leftovers, you could put them in a thermos too so you don't have to heat them up there. Occasionally I take a readymeal, especially if they're reduced.

I haven't got anything to suggest that hasn't already been posted for actual lunches, but if you need a bit more of a push for the money saving angle, this shows how it all adds up!

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/demotivator/

@VegQueen I missed your post but soup is a good idea too if I can work around a suitable container / microwave

Agree it’s good to be considerate, but pesto is one of those things that has a strong smell: I can smell it from 2 floors up when DS makes a midnight pasta!
I think food smells are not necessarily a bad thing, and I’d much rather smell someone’s fish curry lunch than some of the nasty strong scents people wear, or synthetic air fresheners.

Take food from home?

I have a lunch bag that I can put an ice brick in and keep it cold if necessary. I like sandwiches mainly as it’s easy to eat at my desk without the smell annoying everyone around me in the open office.

I usually bring sandwich, yoghurt, fruit, small crisps, handful of chocolate and a health bar. I know it may not meet health standards but it’s nice. I also enjoy buying a coffee.

I never put my lunch in the work fridge. Never been unwell from it… food in a Tupperware is fine unrefrigerated for a few hours.

Yes if I took a bagel or sandwich made from home I don't think I'd need to put it on the fridge so I'm going to try that.