Cold lunches for work

glider3560

First week after getting some great inspirations from people here. Came up with a week of lunches:

Monday: pasta (discovered "trotolle tricolore" in Sainsbury's, absolutely lovely cold) with pesto, ham, cherry tomatoes and olives
Tuesday: ham and salad sandwich
Wednesday: working from home, so I can have some homemade chinese chicken curry from the previous evening
Thursday: potato salad
Friday: chicken tikka (cooked at the weekend and now in the freezer) possibly with cous cous

Really grateful to everyone who posted here. There's more ideas for me to go through for the next few weeks.

jemb wrote: »

she

He . Some of us do keep things clean and enjoy cooking.

Datchet

Hi Glider3650 - I feel your pain! I'm based in a professional office and although the kitchen is managed, we still suffer from theft of food and inconsiderate colleagues. I tend to take my own lunch in as:
A. It's much cheaper- £3 meal deals are generally nasty and the packaging is a huge waste. Sarny & drink from Pret or Gourmet shop set you back a "bluey" £5 at least!
B. It's healthier
C. I often don't get a lunch- break.

I often use the microwave, however but there's often a queue and it's often filthy. Your employer can probably hide behind the provision of canteen, legally for asking you to cough cash to use kitchen. But I think it's outrageous. Have you got a union? Or staff council ?

Any road - on the hot-food front- those thermos things are great, but often we don't have time in the morning to heat and arrange food. Whereas sarnies and other cold stuff can be put together the night before.

My suggestions - and there are some great ones in this and other threads would be:
1. Pasta salad, but fill-out with tinned salad bean mix.
2. Same as above but use barley, cous cous ( giant cous cous is good), bulgar wheat or similar.
3 vary your sarny bread to some nice speciality bread or buns - they're not that expensive.
4. Sarny mix can be pre-prepared and frozen in portions. Corned beef and onion, tomato and ham - etc
5. Cold pasta Bol, chilli , curry and cold soups in summer are not that bad!
6. Keep miniature jam jars, knicked from hotels, and fill with either pickle or salad dressing. Apply to bread and cheese or salad. Keeps it nicer ie not going soggy.
7. Bags of nuts to make up your own mix.

That's all for now! Happy lunching!

FrugalAndFabulous

I'd rethink the cous cous and maybe try some new recipes? One of my favourites is a Hawaiian cous cous recipe on the slimming eats website. Sorry I can't use links yet but it's well worth looking up

MMF007

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party (as usual!)......
How about a couple of different cheeses and some charcuterie. Loads of flavour, cheaper than Pret. You could add olives or hummous and crackers and be the envy of the office! On the same lines, cheese n pate with 'artisan' roll or crackers on the side. Add a handful of rocket to complete the gastronomic experience

Sounds like you have already had some nice lunches

Datchet

Inspired by the above I have my lunch made for road trip tomorrow:
Seedy loaf sandwich with salami and proper pecorino cheese with homemade pickle, toms and celery with pickled gherkins on side. With fruit &'nuts plus reusable water flask and will make a flask of tea!
<shakes fist at Starbucks!!!>

Spendless

Another suggestion. It's this time of year that the supermarkets are filling up their freezers with items marketed as 'party food'. Much of it is meant to be eaten cold once cooked through as it's aimed at buffets. You could look there for inspiration.

Sarastro

glider3560 wrote: »

A lab technician then decided she would create a rota and impose these rules. They were supported by some managers, but not mine, who refused to sign up. All the other kitchens (including on the other floor in my building, and the building opposite) are actually quite clean and don't have a cleaning rota.

Which proves the point that the more you manage it, the worse it will get.