5 alternatives to sandwiches for your children’s lunchboxes

I’m pretty sure my children get as bored eating the same sandwiches every day as I do making them! So, I’ve been kicking off this new term with some fresh ideas!

Here are some of the things I’ve been trying out, along with some filling ideas, for if you need some extra inspiration.

🥖Brioche rolls🥖

My children have always loved brioche rolls, since we introduced them as a great weaning finger food.

Brioche filling ideas
🥖 cheese
🥖 cheese and ham
🥖 cream cheese
🥖 tuna and mayonnaise
🥖 chicken and mayonnaise
🥖 jam
🥖 chocolate spread

🥯Bagels🥯

Bagels are a great option, and you can get them in a few different flavours, like seeded or cinnamon and raisin, to provide an extra bit of variety

Bagel filling ideas:
🥯 cream cheese
🥯 chocolate spread
🥯 salmon and cream cheese
🥯 Turkey salad
🥯 bacon, lettuce and tomato
🥯 Turkey salad

🫓 Quesadilla 🫓

We are big fan of cheese quesadillas in our house, especially when dipped into tomato soup 😋 They are also delicious served cold for lunch the next day.

All you need to do is fill a tortilla wrap with your choice of filling, fold it over and lightly grill in a griddle or frying pan.

Quesadilla filling ideas

🫓 cheese
🫓 cheese and ham
🫓 cheese and baked beans
🫓 chicken salad
🫓 cheese and tomato

🫓 crackers 🫓

Crackers can be a great option for children’s lunch boxes, although you do need to be careful as they can go a bit soggy if you put them all together and leave them all morning in a lunch box.

If you just put a hard cheese, like cheddar, on top this should be fine to be made ahead. If you were to try something like ham and cheese or cream cheese, it may be worth putting the crackers and toppings in separate containers and getting the children to assemble them themself at lunch time. This actually makes lunch time a bit more fun and my children love feeling like they are making their own lunch.

My son loves a dip, so will often actually dip his cracker into a pot of cream cheese instead of needing to spread it on top with a knife.

🥐 croissants 🥐

Croissants make a great alternative to bread for children’s lunchboxes.

Croissant filling ideas
🥐 chocolate spread
🥐 cheese
🥐 cheese and ham
🥐 Turkey
🥐 cream cheese
🥐 salmon and cream cheese
🥐 chicken and mayonnaise