Latest features The lunchbox has landed

Date Published:

27/06/2008

Say goodbye to soggy sandwiches and hello to lifestyle inspired lunches to suit your mood. We've got stacks of ideas for impressive lunchboxes, whether you're eating light to get into your bikini, carb loading for sporting endurance or nursing your way through a hangover

Get your chops(ticks) around this healthy snack

Summer means skimpy clothes and bikini-body anxiety. Packing your own lunch is the best way to monitor your calorie and fat intake - perfect if you're watching your waistline for a spell beside the sea.

What's in the box? nori maki
Sushi is low calorie and protein packed. Add a pack of mini rice cakes as a crunchy filler. Almonds are a wonder snack packed with fibre, protein, and monounsaturated fat that will help you feel fuller for longer.

You're a high flier. You appreciate quality. Not for you the mass produced sandwiches and pre-fingered salads those other losers eat. Yours is a home-packed meal that says 'look at me. Admire me. Envy my massive lunchbox'.

What's in the box? Eat like the person you want to be with a simple but impressive langoustine salad. Add a single portion of good cheese and artisan crackers and a snack pot of wasabi peas to show that your choice of lunch, like all your choices, is impeccable.

Saved by the bell

Keep the kiddies fuelled for the day with a lunchbox that contains protein to keep them perky through double maths, a source of calcium for healthy bone growth, a good helping of their 5 a Day and complex carbohydrates for slow release energy.

What's in the box? Finger foods and bright colours appeal so think mini packets of dried fruit as well as seasonal crudités and fresh fruit with natural yogurt. Cut back on sugary biscuits but keep it interesting by replacing so-so sarnies with a much more tempting savoury muffin.

Hitting the mark on economy and taste, taking last night's leftovers for today's lunch is crushing the credit crunch in the yummiest possible way. Soups, bakes, curries; almost everything seems to taste better after a night in the fridge.

What's in the box? Match a good sturdy helping of a supper like our sausage and roast vegetable pasta bake with a side order of fresh fruit to keep you satisfied and raring to go.

Gourmet grub

Life's too short to eat bad food. You are what you eat and what you eat is the very best of the best.

What's in the box? Gourmet doesn't have to mean complicated as this tomato, red onion and crème fraiche tart recipe proves. Serve yourself a thick slice for lunch, accompanied by some root vegetable crisps, the latest on-trend berry juice and an indulgent treat of gourmet chocolate pud - dark, if possible.

If you've overindulged on the grog and are suffering the consequences, eating is your lifeline to the sober world. You'll crave salt, protein and starch in a heavy, stomach-settling package.

What's in the box? This is no time to go gourmet - it’s guilty pleasures all the way. Our hot dogs with fiery onion relish recipe promise maximum chow in minimum time and won't make you look like a fast food junkie in front of your boss. Team with crisps for a salt injection and a Virgin Mary.

Tucker to go with your trainers

You're on the go and that means you need calories, slow release energy and some more calories. You're burning off so much energy you can afford a high-cal snack but none of that mass produced rubbish - you need your food sources pure and packed with goodness to make yours the lunchbox of champions.

What's in the box? Protein packed, falafel and salad pittas deliver on health and economic credentials. Wrap with dark green leaves, such as spinach, for a dose of bone building vitamin K, or watercress, to boost red blood cells and detoxify the body. Bulk out your box with a mix of unsalted mixed nuts, a vegetable soup and an isotonic drink.

No fridge at your work? Don't let that stop you packing your own lunchbox of delights. New-fangled boxes with built in chilled gels mean you've got your very own fridge-unit in the comfort of your desk drawer.

What's in the box? Whatever you like. Feel the fridge-free freedom and pack yourself a sumptuous feta and slow-roasted tomato salad. Serve with a side of pretzels or herbed crackers and finish with the king of self-contained fruits - the banana. Pack a bottle of juice next to your cooler-than-thou lunchbox for maximum chill.

Find hundreds of lunchbox recipes in the 4Food recipes page.

For an array of plastic fantastic lunchboxes visit Lakeland.