Did you think packed lunches were just for the kids?

Not these days.

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Tesco Meal Deals and Pret salads are being shunned due to the cost of living crisis.

Market research firm Kantar has revealed that 86 million packed lunches were brought to the workplace last year, a whopping 57 million more than in 2022.

But your lunch box doesn't have to be boring and can be a real cost saver.

Here, Miguel Barclay, author of the One Pound Meal cookbooks, shares his favorite working week recipes that are easy to make and cost just a pound each.

Monday

Tomato tart tatin

Serves one

6

You need:

• Handful of cherry tomatoes
• Handful of black olives
• 1 circle of puff pastry
• Olive oil

Method: Preheat your oven to 190°C/gas mark 5.

Take a round baking dish with a diameter of about 10 cm and squeeze a well-fitting single layer of tomatoes into it.

Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and let it cool slightly.

In the meantime, finely chop the olives and cut the circle of puff pastry slightly larger than the diameter of the bowl.

Then apply a little pressure to the tomatoes so that they press a little on the bottom of the bowl, and then sprinkle with the chopped olives.

Now take your dough, place it over it and tuck the dough in along the side with a tablespoon, so that it is pressed between the tomatoes and the edge of the bowl.

Use a knife to pierce the dough twice in the center (to release steam and prevent rising in the oven) before returning the dish to the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before carefully turning it over into your lunch box.

Tuesday

Greek salad orzo

Serves four

You need:

• 150 g orzo pasta
• ½ cucumber, coarsely chopped
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
• Handful of black olives
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• Handful of feta cheese
• Lemon wedge
• Oregano

Method: Cook the orzo in salted water according to the instructions on the package, drain, sprinkle with a little olive oil and let cool.

Then mix the cucumber, tomatoes, olives, onion, feta and a pinch of oregano and season with salt and pepper.

Finish it off with a dash of lemon and olive oil.

Finish with a final pinch of oregano.

Wednesday

Sweet potato falafel wrap

Serves one

6

You need:

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• Olive oil
• 40 g plain flour
• 25 ml cold water
• Handful of sliced ​​red cabbage
• A few tomatoes, chopped
• Handful of sliced ​​white onion

Method: Preheat your oven to 190°C/gas mark 5.

Prick the sweet potato several times with a fork and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes, or cook it in the microwave for 10 minutes, until soft.

Once cool enough to handle, cut it in half, scoop the flesh into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix in the cumin and half the spring onion.

Wet your hands to prevent the mixture from sticking to them and roll them into balls about the size of a ping pong ball.

Roll the balls in sesame seeds, place them on a baking tray, sprinkle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, make the flatbread wrap. Mix the flour and water in a bowl with a pinch of salt to form a dough.

Knead it on the work surface for a few minutes until the dough is smooth, then roll it out into a circle with a diameter of 20 cm.

Cook in a dry, preheated pan over high heat for about 2 minutes on each side until nicely toasted.

Assemble the wrap by topping the flatbread with the falafel and adding the red cabbage, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion and the remaining spring onion.

Thursday

Lemon broccoli couscous bowl

Serves one

6

You need:

• A few pieces of Tenderstem broccoli, halved lengthwise
• Pinch of dried chili flakes
• Small handful of pine nuts
• ¼ mug of couscous
• Lemon wedge and zest
• Handful of crumbled feta

Method: Fry the broccoli in a dash of oil over high heat with the chili flakes, pine nuts and some salt and pepper.

When the broccoli is charred and cooked through (but still has some bite) after 8 minutes, remove it from the pan and set it aside.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the couscous and water, along with a squeeze of lemon.

Mix everything so that the couscous soaks up all the flavors in the pan and let it sit for a few minutes to fill up.

Stir the couscous in your lunch box with a fork and spoon.

Divide the broccoli over it, grate some lemon zest over it and finish with feta.

Friday

Tagliatelle with bacon and asparagus

Serves one

6

You need:

• A few asparagus spears
• A few slices of smoked pork belly, coarsely chopped
• Handful of dried tagliatelle
• Olive oil

Method: Bring a pan of salted water to the boil.

Cut the top 4 cm from each asparagus spear, set the top aside and cut the rest into fine cubes.

Fry the diced asparagus and bacon in a dash of olive oil over medium heat with a pinch of salt and pepper for about 5 minutes, until the asparagus is soft.

Roughly mash the asparagus in the pan with the back of a fork, add the asparagus tips and fry for a few more minutes until the bacon is nicely colored, adding another dash of olive oil.

In the meantime, cook the tagliatelle in the salted boiling water until al dente.

Add the cooked pasta straight from the boiling water to the pan with the asparagus and bacon using tongs and add a splash of starchy pasta cooking water to create the sauce.

Stir briefly and put in a Tupperware to warm up at work.