Parenting 

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Lunchbox clever

Your child’s lunchbox may be square but its contents needn’t be. It’s easy to add enough taste, variety, excitement and nutrition to tempt even the fussiest eater. Diane Cross explains how

Although children appreciate familiarity, a continuing round of cheese sandwiches for lunch can get really boring. However, there are many simple ways to make a packed lunch exciting.

Bread may be a staple of the school diet, but it needn’t be boring. From fruit or malt loaf to organic raisin-and-sunflower bread, a change of loaf could do the trick. But if white is right and wholemeal is not to be endured (remember that Hovis now bake a white wholemeal loaf), add interest with a pack of mini or finger rolls.

Someone who sees countless numbers of lunchboxes returning home untouched is primary school headteacher Mrs Carol Kite. ‘Change the shape of what you are offering by using pastry or play-dough cutters to make fun-shaped sandwiches,’ advises Mrs Kite. ‘Don’t give them doorstops, and if they don’t like crusts then cut them off.’ Impress your kids with a ‘sandwich winder’. Using bread from a thin-sliced loaf, remove the crusts, lightly spread with butter then add a colourful filling such as chocolate spread, fish paste, jam or lemon curd – anything colourful you know your kids will eat. Then roll up the bread with the filling on the inside and cut into slices. The Catherine-wheel-shaped sandwiches look great and should go down a treat.

And there’s no need to get stuck in that four-filling cycle of cheese, ham, Marmite and jam. Experiment with interesting ingredients such as:

• cream cheese with chopped grapes, banana slices or sultanas
• canned tuna and sweetcorn mixed with a little ketchup or low-fat mayo
• scrambled egg and crispy bacon
• smoked salmon with cress

There are countless options once you get thinking.

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