Back to School Lunches

13th September 2017

The kids went back to school last week and packed lunches are now part of the daily routine. But lunch preparation can be a chore.

Are you continually looking for ways to make children’s food more interesting and fun? Then check out our top tips for back to school lunches in this week’s blog!

1) Keep It Simple

Children get bored of having the same lunch every day, so planning in advance will make it easier for you and more exciting for them. Use a planning chart, calendar or diary to keep track of each day or week and try to alternate between different sandwiches, salads, snacks and fruit and veg.

2) Fun Food

Get creative and make lunchtimes fun by cutting food into different shapes and characters, write messages on banana skins or orange peels, wrap food in colourful designs and put jokes, stories or drawings into the box too. Chegworth Valley at The Pantiles has a great range of goodies, perfect for healthy lunches.

3) Play It Cool

Ensure that all perishable foods, such as yoghurts, are kept fresh by covering them well. Keep them cool by including a bottle of frozen water in the lunchbox.

Back to School Lunches

4) Portion Sizes

If your little one has a little appetite, pack half a sandwich instead of a whole one and supplement it with healthy snacks. It’s a good idea to check that the ingredients are easy to eat too. If anything inside is too sticky, dry or spicy, that could put them off eating it.

5) Treat Time!

Children can get easily distracted and may not finish their lunch. Bring some excitement to lunch time by giving them something to look forward to. By adding a small chocolate bar or bag of sweets to their lunch box once a week, this can act as a reward and an incentive to them to keep eating their lunch each day. Head to Chocolatl in The Pantiles for a luxury sweet treat!

6) Personalisation

Make sure your child’s lunchbox is labelled with their name, so it doesn’t get mixed up with anyone else’s. You could also ask your children to decorate their own lunch box, helping them demonstrate their creative flair and be proud to carry their creation to school!

With these tips and a wealth of tasty ideas at The Pantiles’ stores, lunch time need never be dull again!