Neven Maguire’s top tips for tasty back-to-school lunches
Neven Maguire shares his best back-to-school lunch tips. Picture: Joanne Murphy
Chef Neven Maguire knows a thing or two about preparing great food and creating amazing recipes but when it comes to school lunches, he likes to keep it simple.
With 10-year-old twins Connor and Lucia now back at school, the celebrity chef is making lunches once again and has shared some of his top tips for ensuring they come home with empty lunch boxes.
All kids are different and even with his two, there are some elements of the school lunches that he changes up. Like her father, Lucia has more of a sweet tooth while Connor has a bigger appetite so prefers something like a chicken sandwich.
“You can’t always reinvent the wheel,” he says. “For Lucia, I love to make wheaten bread and she just loves that with a nice little bit of cheese, ham or maybe some jam. But it is homemade wheaten bread which is great.”
Wheaten bread can be frozen and made in batches which is another added bonus. As for his son Connor, it is all about a simple roast chicken sandwich.
“Connor, he loves a sandwich. He loves a roast chicken sandwich and you can just put that in with a little bit of salad,” he continues.
You can top it off with a small bit of mayonnaise too and when it comes to adding a small bit of salad, it is best to make sure you don't use anything that is too strong.
“He definitely has a bigger appetite than Lucia. She tends to eat wraps and things like that and sometimes she likes a little bit of homemade soup which is really nice to bring to school in a flask.”
Homemade flapjacks are another great lunch box addition and make for a healthy snack.
“Flapjacks are great. Oats, honey, you can mix in some dried cranberries and apricots so you’re getting a little bit of fruit in there. A little bit of sweetness which they all need. We all need that. It’s a lovely little treat for them. They really enjoy that.”
For those with a sweeter tooth, scones are another excellent addition that can be batch cooked and prepared quickly in the morning.
“Sometimes I make a scone for Lucia in particular and what I do is I make a batch of scones, I cut them in half after they are baked and then I pop them into the freezer. I take them out the night before, toast them before they go to school — a little bit of butter, a little bit of jam and she loves that. She definitely has a slightly sweeter tooth like me.”
If you’re looking to reuse some of the leftovers from dinner, a simple pasta and tomato sauce can also work well for lunch the next day. Neven recommends putting it in a flask and using a penne pasta that can be picked up easily with a spoon so there is no need for a fork.
“Lucia has kind of opened my eyes because she said oh I’d love a nice little bit of tomato sauce and some pasta. Not spaghetti but something like the penne pasta is good. Something they can eat with a little spoon.”
Variety is important, he says, as is ensuing to include their favourite fruits.
“To give them fruit is really important. They love apples. They love mango and pineapple and I would peel that and dice that and just put that into a little dish,” he adds.
“We can all get bored of the old ham and cheese sandwich but nowadays you can get lovely chutneys and little relishes to make it a little bit more interesting.”
