School lunch ideas

I always end up scratching my head at the start of a school year and asking myself "What will I pack for lunch for the girls?" My daughters are now aged 11 and 14 and the menu has changes over the years. I thought it might be useful to list some suggestions here.

Hot, cold, fizzy, not....always a conumdrum. In my kids schools, fizzy drinks are not allowed so that reduced the options a bit.

In very cold weather, I normally packed a thermos with warm drinks such as:

• hot chocolate
• hot milk
• soup

In very hot weather, I would still pack the thermos but this time fill it with drinks such as:

• cold milk
• cold smoothies
• cold juice, etc

In moderate weather, I would pack squash (diluted with water), but in recent years we have been going with pure water only - and the kids love it.

Tip: For more active days when the child will be involved in sports etc, pack an extra drink.

Tip: Pack a drinking straw for younger kids if they tend not to want to drink, it will make drinking a little more fun!

It's good to give kids something substantial to eat and this can be in many forms:

• Sandwich (using various types of bread)
• Pita pocket
• Bagel
• Flour Tortilla wrap
• Pasta (hot or cold)
• Hot food in a thermos

Fill sandwiches with a variety of fillings such as:

• Ham, cheese and coleslaw
• Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato (BLT) - put the tomato between the bacon and lettuce to avoid the bread getting soggy
• Chicken and sweetcorn
• Tuna and sweetcorn

These will work equally well in bread, rolls, bagels, pita or wraps.

My younger daughter has her own favorites:

• Ham and potato chips (cheese and onion flavor) in a sandwich
• Fish fingers in a sandwich! (cold!) - garnished with tomato ketchup
• Fried potato and English sausage in a sandwich! (cold!) - garnished with tomato ketchup

For other foods (non sandwich), try:

• Pasta (hot in a thermos or cold) with anything you fancy - chicken, ham, tuna, just plain tomato-based sauce.
• Baked beans in a thermos
• Home made soup (blended for no lumps!) in a thermos
• Salads of various types (e.g. Waldorf salad)

Here's your chance to introduce fruit and vegatables!

• Fresh Fruit - apples, small oranges or mandarins, grapes, strawberries, bananas, plums, etc
• Fruit salad (in a tub with a spoon)
• Yoghurt
• Vegatables - raw carrot sticks, raw celery sticks (it's fun to include some type of dip with these)

And for a special treat:

• Cookies
• Cup cakes
• Apple pie or apple crumble (in a tub with a spoon)
• Popcorn
• Jello
• Cereal bars