Making your own lunch can save significant money compared to buying meal deals, with prices in big cities climbing to as much as £12 a day. A packed lunch, depending on what you choose, costs a couple of pounds at most. Beyond the savings, making your own lunch gives you full control over ingredients, avoiding ultra-processed foods and ensuring everything is seasoned to your taste.
Autumn is a good time to start the habit, with the incentive of saving for Christmas on the horizon. The choice of lunch box matters too, as an uplifting container can encourage you to actually fill it. Options range from sandwich holders to leak-proof bowls for salads with separate dressing pots, and bento-style designs for snackers who want to divide sweet and savoury bites.
From budget to premium lunch boxes
Dunelm offers the Square Gingham Lunch Bag for £5, a simple cube design with a zip and hardy polyester construction. It measures H 14cm x W 22cm x D 17cm, offering enough room for a feast for one, and is easy to clean with a wipe down.
Sistema's Stackable Lunch Box costs £9.50 and provides a 1.2L set-up with a divider tray in the lid to keep fruit, snacks and salad separate from a homemade sandwich in the spacious section below. A clip-lock lid keeps the lunch undisturbed until ready to eat, and it comes in an assortment of colours.
Leak-proof and heated options
The Thermos Stainless King Copper Food Flask holds 470ml of liquid in its thermal vacuum insulated interior, keeping food hot for up to nine hours or cold for up to 14. The lid can be repurposed as a serving cup, and it comes with a spoon that folds into the flask's mouth. It is available from £16.99.
For those who work on the road or in places without a kitchen, the TRAVELISIMO Extra-Large Heated Lunch Box costs £29.99 and works with 230V, 24V and 12V outlets. The spacious 1.8L design includes a compartment for fruit, which should be removed before switching the unit on.
Designer and insulated picks
Fortnum's x Black & Blum Lunch Box, priced at £29.95, offers an inner tray and a leak-free pot for sauce or dressings, plus its own fork. Secure clips on all sides keep the lid in place.
The Alessi Food à Porter Three-Piece Lunch Box, reduced from £55 to £44, features three tiers in red, crafted from thermoplastic resin to keep food cool. The BAGGU Pluto Lunch Box, at £38, is a cooler-style design with a lined interior to keep food and drink hot or cold, made from recycled fabrics. The YETI 6L Lunch Bag, at £80, uses food-safe Coldcell Flex™ Insulation to keep the brand's Ice Sheet working longer, is compatible with the shoulder strap of YETI's Daytrip model, and comes in colours including navy, grey, aqua and taupe with a three-year warranty.
