Forget the basic cheese sandwiches of yesteryear, kids these days are far more adventurous when it comes to sandwich fillings.
A back to school survey by Warburton’s polled 1,000 school kids aged six to 11 years old on what they want in their lunchboxes.
While ham and cheese dominated first and second place on the preferred sandwich fillings list, there were also some unusually upmarket additions – think BLT, houmous, avocado and pulled pork.
The top 20 fillings that UK school kids request for their sandwiches:
Ham
Cheese
Chocolate spread
Sliced chicken
Jam
Tuna
Cucumber
Peanut butter
Sausage
Chicken and sweetcorn
Turkey
Cream cheese
Egg salad
Roast beef
Corned beef
Cheese and pickle
BLT
Houmous
Avocado
Pulled pork.
The survey also revealed that half of kids who take a packed lunch to school have traded an item from their lunchbox for something more delicious in one of their pal’s lunchboxes.
And the nation’s youngsters aren’t afraid to say how they feel – more than two thirds have complained to their parents because their packed lunch didn’t meet their standards. In fact, just one in four of the pint-sized participants said they’d rate the sandwiches in their lunchbox as ‘great’.
Despite most parents trying to prioritise healthy items in their child’s lunchbox, both chocolate spread and jam featured in the top five most requested fillings.
The average lunchbox, according to a further 1,000 parents surveyed, includes: a sandwich, piece of fruit, bag of crisps and bottle of water.
One third of the nation’s young school kids are sent through the gates with veggie sticks and a dip in their lunchbox, and one in 10 will have a nut bar to help keep them going throughout the day.
Stuck for packed lunch ideas this term? Here are some ideas to get you started.