from the editor - St John's Felbridge

FAMILY LIFE
Tasty, healthy lunchboxes that your child will enjoy eating
– maybe!
YOU’D THINK that by now I’d be an
expert on making quick and interesting,
child-friendly lunchboxes, wouldn’t
you! But the truth is I’m getting worse
at it, not better! When Rowan (who has
now just started secondary school) first
started primary school I would lovingly
ensure that his lunchbox was varied and
healthy throughout the week. Now,
with two school age children and a
husband all trying to get ready to leave
the house by 8 o’clock, the lunchboxes
have become somewhat more rushed
and samey—same old, cheese, ham or
tuna sandwiches!
Except that now Benjamin refuses to
take tuna sandwiches to school, because
one of the other boys in his class finds
them disgusting. He won’t take in
whole sausages as they look like poo!
He moans if I put too much food in,
because he doesn’t have time to play
football, yet comes out of school
ravenous and grumpy!
What can I do to ensure my children eat
filling, healthy food that doesn’t take
too long to stuff in their mouths? On a
recent trip to the library I discovered a
book by Gill Holcombe that held the
answers I’d been looking for.
Here are some of the ideas I’ve begun
to put into practice:
Alternatives to sandwiches: Pitta
breads don’t go as soggy as
sandwiches, so are great for putting
lettuce and cucumber into. Rowan and
Benjamin love theirs with sundried
tomatoes, olives and some feta cheese.
(I can usually get away with putting a
bit of lettuce or spinach in as well!)
Pizza
Pots of potato salad or pasta salad with
chopped sausages or chicken
drumsticks, but that would be no good
for those football fanatics!
Sandwich fillings: I’ve started using the
leftovers from the previous night’s
dinner—chicken or sausages work well
and can be livened up with some
chutney or mustard.
Vegetables: Sticks of cucumber, pepper
or carrot are easy to eat and nutritious
too.
Fruit: grapes, strawberries, small
bananas or dried apricots.
Treats: I usually try to put in a treat
every day—this might be a cheese
stick, pepperami or a frozen frube, a
piece of cake or occasionally a few
crisps.
Lindsey Saunders
7