By A bento box stacked with familiar and fun shapes, colours and textures beats a drab cheese and ham sandwich any and every day
I’m already struggling with lunchbox inspiration for the kids. Help!
Rachel, by email
This sounds like a job for Claudine Boulstridge, who has been packing lunchboxes for her three children for 15 years, which is to say she has her gameplan down pat: “Having a simple formula and a few go-to ingredients means I don’t have to reinvent the wheel every morning,” says the author of Family and the Healthy Family Food Substack. Well, that plus a bento-style box: “It keeps everything neatly separated, fresh and visually appealing for hours, without the hassle of small containers,” she adds. “So, even when I’m short on time, I can quickly fill the compartments with a variety of wholesome ingredients: crisp vegetables, juicy fruit, a chunk of cheese, a handful of nuts, a few slices of ham or salami … Lunch is sorted.”
More specifically, Boulstridge sticks to a formula of fruit (halved kiwi, orange slices, pomegranate, say), plus veg (cucumber, carrot, cooked sweet potato, radish), plus protein (soft-boiled egg, cheese, cooked chicken slices or drumsticks, hummus, fish cakes), plus a homemade snack (roast coconut flakes with cinnamon; seeds toasted with unsalted butter and spices; dried seaweed squares). And, just like getting dressed in the morning, accessories are the last word: “Make food fun with shaped cookies, colourful food picks, silicone moulds.” Or simply cut veg into batons or whatever shapes float your boat, Boulstridge says: “Even familiar food will feel fresh and exciting.”
Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/nov/10/school-lunchbox-bento-box-ideas-inspiration
