Depending on how your day is going, lunch can be the highlight of the working day.
If you’re lucky and the weather is on your side, you can spend that precious hour in the local park, reminding your toes what grass feels like. But even if it’s cold and rainy, taking time away from your desk to eat and giving yourself a proper mental break can help you feel recharged and revived for the second half of the day.
Whether you’re watching the pennies, or you just don’t like what’s on offer near your workplace, making your own lunch can reap rewards in more ways than one.
It’ll likely be far healthier and fresher than store-bought options, with the added bonus that you can include only what you like, compromising on nothing. How often can you say that about a coffee shop sarnie?
What you place your lunch in is second to what’s on the menu, but it’s still a fairly important thing to consider. While plastic takeaway boxes are all good and well for housing ingredients in your fridge and freezer at home, surely your work lunchbox should be a little more uplifting? If you’re a grazer, you may like the idea of separate compartments to divide sweet and savoury bites.
You may think a dedicated lunchbox is for kids, but there are plenty of versions for adult diners too. We’ve rounded up the best options for all kinds of lunch, from a humble sandwich to bento box styles to help you find your new office must-have.
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Alessi Food à Porter
Sleek, contemporary and playful design is Italian brand Alessi’s trademark, even for lunch boxes. This bold red design features three compartments to store snacks, sides and lunch, and it’s made from thermoplastic resin which will keep your food cool - useful in the summer when you might be craving salad and snacks instead of anything heavy. We’ve never been more excited to do lunch prep.
Buy now £55.00, Amazon
STOJO On The Go Collapsible Lunch Box
You may recognise the brand STOJO from its collapsible coffee cups that are ubiquitous on the London underground for commuters who know the hack. This lunch box follows in much the same suit as the cups. It houses your lunch of choice, and post-1pm once you’ve devoured its contents, you simply fold it flat for ease in stashing in your backpack or tote, and then in your kitchen cupboards. It’s only 3cm once collapsed but opens out to 6.3 x 16.5cm. The lunch box is also microwave and dishwasher safe.
Buy now £21.99, Amazon
Sistema Stackable Lunch Box, 1.2L, Assorted
Sometimes a sandwich just isn’t enough to power you through the day. Hungry diners can give themselves even more options thanks to this lunchbox, which features a divider tray in the lid to keep fruit and salad from meddling with your homemade sandwich in the more spacious section below. The clip-lock lid will give you peace of mind that your meal is safe and sound until you’re ready to devour it.
Buy now £9.50, John Lewis
Black+Blum BPA-Free, Leak-Proof Microwave Safe Bento Box Style Compartment Food Container
Measuring 20 x 20 x 5cm, this compact lunch box can easily hold a feast for one, yet is small enough to slip into your work bag. The leaf-proof box is made from strong BPA-free plastic and inside holds a number of compartments to separate your lunch components. It even comes with its own stainless steel fork which slides neatly inside, so no need to worry about home-brought cutlery getting dirty in your bag.
We love Black+Blum’s design for hearty rice dishes in the winter and fresh salads for summer. And, thanks to the included sauce pot (with space for garnishes in the lid), neither option will become too soggy as you can wait until you’re ready to eat to pour. Genius.
If you’re feeling really fancy, there are plenty of designer touches to upgrade your Black+Blum lunchbox. Prada has collaborated with the brand on a stainless steel, bamboo and silicone version, £120.
Microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe.
Buy now £21.95, Amazon
Sistema To-Go Salad & Sandwich Lunch Box,1.6L, Assorted
There’s no need to agonise between a sammie or a salad in to work thanks to Sistema’s clever lunchbox design, which has dedicated compartments to hold each portion of your meal. Everything fastens securely together with a clip-lock lid so you won’t find yourself picking bits of lettuce from your keyboard - there’s no chance it’ll open in your bag. It comes in green, blue and purple colour choices, making it simple to colour-code for each member of your family.
Buy now £10.00, John Lewis
Thai Tiffin Eco Lunchbox
Mumbai’s famous dabbawalas are said to deliver up to 200,000 lunches across the Indian metropolis every day from housewives to office workers, with near-flawless accuracy - and all without a computerised system. The dabbawalas carry the lunches, typically a few rotis, a curry, a daal and some rice, in a stacked lunchbox called a tiffin, keeping all the components separate and sog-free until they reach their hungry recipient.
While the idea of a dabbawala is yet to take off in London, the concept of a tiffin lunchbox undoubtedly should; it’s a genius way to pack in small courses for lunch, leaving you far more sated than a high street sandwich ever could.
This four-tier design fastens with clasps and comes with a beautifully decorated thermal carrier to keep your contents cold or warm.
Buy now £37.99, Etsy
Hip Clutch Lunch Bag & Cutlery Set, 1.4L
Available in blush pink, jade and navy, this clutch bag-design lunch box lets you eat food on the go with style. It features one main compartment, with cutlery attaching to the inside of the lid, and there’s a covered pot for sauces, dips and dressings too. The best bit is that this box is made with Ocean Bound Plastic, which recycles plastic rubbish that would otherwise end up choking the seas.
Buy now £18.32, Amazon
Stasher Lilac Sandwich Bag
It may be sold as a sandwich bag, but the truth is Stasher’s flexible bag has so many uses. It can keep batch-cooked food in the fridge until you’re ready to eat, stand in as a makeup bag and stop your lotions and potions spilling over the rest of your bag, and act as a wet pouch for your swimming gear on your way back from the beach or pool.
As a sandwich bag though, it does very well, with the soft silicone casing expanding to fit the heftiest of lunches. It’s not only oven safe to 220 degrees, but will stand the test of the dishwasher, microwaves and freezer too. Your new kitchen fave.
Buy now £8.44, Amazon
Herschel Supply Co City Pop Quiz insulated lunch box
The least lunchbox-looking option on this edit, who knew bag supplier Herschel made designs to hold your lunch too?
This black option features a two-way zip to access your grub faster and there’s a spacious five litres inside to fill. Naturally it’s insulated to keep your lunch cooler than the cucumber in your summer salad, making for a refreshing bite to eat when the clock strikes 1pm.
Buy now £30.00, Herschel
Sinnsally 1400ML Bento Box Lunch Box
A chic aesthetic has entered your midday meal - and it’s here to stay. This compact two-tier lunchbox comes with separate compartments for ensuring sweet and savoury don’t mix and there’s space for matching cutlery under the bamboo lid - a spoon, knife and fork comes included. The two elements are kept secure with an elastic band and there’s also a small pot to hold dips or salad dressing.
Buy now £13.99, Amazon
Elephant Box Stainless Steel Bento Snack Box
Not a sandwich kind of person? Make lunch feel like a proper break from work by filling three tiers of this bento-style lunchbox with things that really make your mouth water. Whether that’s a biryani, lasagne, a hearty stew or a homemade soup is up to you. There’s space for sides and snacky bits in the smaller stainless steel tiers, so there’s plenty of space to bring in everything you need. In total, this clip-locked lunchbox offers 950ml.
Buy now £33.00, Amazon
