lunchboxes -1

Its that time of year when the minds of normal parents turn to thoughts of school dinners and packed lunches (a little late – but hey we’re only human). So, what do you give them?

It’s easy when we’re still enjoying the last rays of summer: Sandwiches, rolls, baps , a piece of fruit or raw vegetables and a sweet or savoury treat, but it can all get a bit samey after a while. For a few ideas on how to jazz up a lunch box you could do worse than look at “lunchboxes” by Annabel Karmel (Ebury Press £6.99, available from Kiddies Kitchen) which has some great variations on the traditional ham sandwich – think tortilla wraps, pasta salads and the like.

The next problem is what to take it in. There are hundreds of cheap plastic lunchboxes, but sometimes it is impossible to avoid the tyranny of branding. Our favourite is the Thermos Soft Lunchbox (£3.99, from Kiddies Kitchen). This is insulated to keep food chilled for three hours and has an elasticated bottle holder inside (bottle not included). Best of all its available in simple stylish all black or silver finishes without a cartoon character in sight. On the other hand, for the minimalist child a simple Thermos/Tupperware plastic box is often all that is needed.

As the days get colder its nice to be able to send them with something hot. A wide mouth thermos flask is essential if you want to send them with chilli or pasta. The best we’ve found is the Thermos Coolkidz Funtainer (great name…). this is a small insulated food jar with a good wide neck opening so that its easy to get a spoon or fork into the food. Its available in pink, blue or gender neutral purple and is the ideal size and shape for a kids packed lunch or even for a nursery lunch for younger toddlers. I admit I was sceptical about the claims to keep food hot for 6 hours, but a recent trip to the beach put my mind at ease: As long as you follow the instructions the food really will still be hot after 6 hours.

Thermos also do some very smart small flasks (£7.99) in the same bright colours as the funtainers and these would be good for a hot drink or reasonably liquid soup (anything chunky and homemade and I’d use a funtainer, because the flasks have quite a narrow neck).

The whole of the Thermos Coolkidz range is available from Kiddies Kitchen either from their shop in Tavistock or online at www.kiddieskitchen.co.uk using a secure on-line payment facility.

posted by Richard @ 4:59 AM