Box Appetit Lunchbox Review

Do you remember what lunchbox you had as a child? Lunchboxes were a big deal back then. They were always square, made of chunky brightly coloured plastic, had pictures of popular TV kids shows on them and came with a matching plastic flask. Whether it was He Man, Care Bears, The Get Along Gang, Strawberry Shortcake or Transformers, what you had on your lunchbox said a lot about you. I had the red Snoopy one; the one where he’s lying on his back on top of his kennel, with his trusty sidekick Woodstock looking up at him. I didn’t even watch Snoopy, so I’m guessing that particular lunchbox must have been on offer at the time (my mum loves a bargain), either that or red was the current fave colour, who knows, but never the less lunchtime was always a big deal at school.

You must remember the excitement of opening your lunchbox each day, the moment of unwrapping the foil wrapped sandwiches to see whether it was a jam or soggy tuna day. There was always a little packet of Sun Maid raisins, maybe a yogurt and if you were really lucky a Trio or a packet of Discos. Lunch was a time to be celebrated, a time to enjoy food, a time to discuss whose lunchbox was better and whether He Man or She Ra would win in a fight.

But what happened to lunchtimes of past?

Now we’re all grown up and we get to decide for ourselves what food we eat at lunch, it’s somehow lost appeal, and well correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m not really that sure whether taking a lunchbox into work (certainly a My Little Pony one) is considered the done thing any more…!?!

And then there’s the whole smell factor. Let’s face it, most of us eat at our desks these days right, so if you open up the Tupperware and you’ve gone for egg sarnies that day, let’s just say you ain’t gonna win any points in the popularity stakes.

It’s time for…

A Lunch Box Revolution!

Black + Blum, the company famed for its eclectic range of homeware products have bought out a lunchbox that they consider “awesome for adults & cool for kids of all ages”, so let’s check out whether this bad boy has got what it takes to set some serious lunch goals.

The Box Appetit lunchbox is available in 5 different colours – Lime, Ocean, Orange, Black & Red, and Pink & Blue – and the combo of these bright colours along with the plastic and shape are a clear nod to the 80s lunchboxes so many of us grew up with. Priced at £19.95 they’ve obviously moved on from the 80s price tag, but trust me when I say you’re getting a lot for your money…all this in fact:

Deep dish bowl – ideal for leftovers.
Triangular lidded sandwich compartment – keeps them fresh, non-soggy and seals in smells!
‘Fife’ – the bastard love child of a fork and a knife.
Small triangular hinge lidded pot – sits in the corner minding it’s own business, then WHAM…time to get saucy!
Clippable lid with shallow circular dipping puddle – soy sauce for your sushi anyone?

The clever design utilises every space within the main compartment, allowing food to be separated in such a way that there’s no smell and taste transfers and best of all it allows you to get excited about lunch again. More compartments means more variation – Monday it could be salad with a separate homemade dressing, Tuesday it could be a sarnie and a bit of fruit, Wednesday maybe it’s leftover pasta, Thursday we’re talking wraps and yogurt, taking us all the way through to Friday where we’re going all out fancy and taking in homemade (OK so we totes bought it from Waitrose) sushi.

Take That Lunchbox Scoffers!

My only slight niggle with it, is the lid. Now don’t get me wrong it looks amazing and it is absolutely fantastic at sealing in the freshness and really does close incredibly securely, but it does take a bit of getting used to. There are sturdy clips either side and a small air button situated on the top of the lid, which you need to press down to help release the last bit of air before it firmly shuts. Maybe it’s me being all fingers and thumbs, but I did have to faff about with it a bit before it finally shut, but shut it did.

Other key points worth knowing:

BPA free
Microwave safe
Dishwasher safe (yay to that!)
Helps with portion control
Water tight
Reusable
Looks cool!

So no, I haven’t made 80s character lunchboxes cool again I’m afraid, but having a lunch box with loads of ‘bits’ that looks stylish and just so happens to be red, why I think I’ve just found my own grown-up Snoopy lunchbox!

*Product gifted for review