This is the week that the media is full of stories on how to make the kids’ lunchboxes healthier/cheaper/more fun than a vegemite sandwich cut into a panda face. So it struck us – why should the kids have all the fun? Surely we all need a little office lunch inspiration? And maybe some of this inspo could even be batched up for the kids or for whoever is left alone fighting on the home front! So here are 10 killer ideas for office or desk lunches. Stuff you can take to look cool, save money and guarantee envious looks from your colleagues.

Your virtuous pot noodles

Here’s a lunch as clean and virtuous as a freshly scrubbed angel; one that bears no relation to those strange plastic tubs of chemically enhanced desiccation loved by Kevin in IT and those whose culinary skills run, just about, to being able to boil a kettle. Instead, we give you a new take on an old favourite. Fill a clean glass jar with those soft, pre-packaged, pre-cooked hokkien or udon noodles layered with whatever is in the crisper drawer that you can eat raw and that you’ve either sliced or shredded very finely (carrots, snowpeas, cabbage, brussels sprouts) or broken into small pieces (broccoli florets, cauliflower). Then just pour over some boiling water, hot stock or even very hot miso soup (made from a sachet) and leave the noodles and veg to warm though and cook slightly in the hot broth. If the veg is too crunchy or you want it hotter, the glass jar can always be microwaved to heat it all up a little.

The Shaolin monk lunch

If you want to reduce your office lunch to an even more minimalist level, take a tub of barely cooked soba noodles and eat cold with a dunking green tea flavoured with soy, mirin and honey for sweetness and dashi powder or miso for savouriness. You can add grated fresh ginger, toasted sesame seeds or finely sliced spring onion for a touch of monastic-level decadence!

Thick soup with sexy garnishes

Need an office hug that won’t get you into trouble with the boys and girls from HR? Then there’s nothing more comforting than transporting a hearty pumpkin, pea and ham, or cauliflower soup to reheat in the office microwave. You’ll find simple recipes for all these here. Just step it up by also taking in a little tub of something sexy and decadent as a garnish; whether it’s some pepitas candied in a hot pan with Sriracha chilli sauce and maple syrup, blue cheese crumbled in chunks into olive oil, or just some spice-toasted nuts and fresh herbs.

Remember, nothing says “look at me, I’m a culinary superhero and therefore worthy of a pay rise” better than a bowl of basic cream of tomato with loads of fresh basil on top! So fragrant, so impressive, so simple.

Nude slaw

Raw is the new cooked, so finely julienne carrot, cabbage and the flesh of a cucumber (get one of those nifty $12, jagged-toothed peelers to do this easily and quickly). Assemble on a plate at work with some pickled Japanese ginger, a squeeze of lemon and lime juice for added interest, some torn herbs like coriander or dill, and some diced or pickled chilli. Delicious. If you feel more decadent, add a splash of soy or tamari and a zigzag of Japanese mayo.

Think of this salad as a version of the old schnitzel and slaw sandwich, but without high-GI puffy white bread and fried meat. (That’s not to say you couldn’t sneak into a secluded corner of the office kitchen, put this slaw between two slices of ‘loaf of death’ and add some of our slightly more virtuous, baked not fried, crumbed schnitzel nuggets…

Hard salads

There is nothing more disappointing that limp salad for lunch, so go with salads that stand up to the pressure of time, the commute and a lonely few hours in your backpack or briefcase. A roast cauliflower salad with cumin, currants, nuts, parsley and either stock-cooked barley or brown rice is a staple round my way.

Those grains work equally well with rounds of pan-tanned leeks and shredded chicken (poached, roasted, or bought ready-barbecued from the supermarket) topped with spring onion.

In all these cases, season and dress at the time of eating with a suitable dressing, a dollop of your favourite hummus, or something creamy like natural yoghurt or feta.

Combination salads

Some hard salads like potato, chicken, egg or tuna do stand up to being dressed in mayo before you leave for work. But I’d always advise pairing them with something fresh, crispy or tasty carried into work separately, whether it’s a mound of shredded iceberg lettuce and cress to go with chicken or egg salad, corn and diced green salad to go with tuna, or sliced spring onion and fried Asian shallots to brighten up a potato salad. Some poached chicken or shredded smoked trout with fresh dill can add even more interest to those spuds

Hipster rolls

You may not have a bushranger beard or a colourful sleeve of tattoos that tells the story of your life in more detail that a One Direction song, but you can nick one of hipsterdom’s coolest current trends by plumping for all manner of falafels delivered in a crunchy slaw-filled roll. Be braver than the usual fried balls of smashed chickpea and herbs, and make bang-on-trend roast pumpkin or beetroot falafels. Maybe even add some crushed almonds, pepitas or hazelnuts to your falafel mix for extra added crunch. Either way, don’t forget a little tub of tahini and lemon sauce to dress the falafels, and some fresh herbs to tear over the top. Yes, a microwave-or toaster-warmed pita pocket works just as well as a roll and makes every thing look or more ‘on-trend Tel-Aviv-street-foodie’. So hot right now.

Leftovers

Never underestimate the jealousy-inspiring impact of taking in leftovers. Not only does everything from last night’s lamb curry and chicken cacciatore to chilli or bolognese taste better reheated the next day, but it also screams “solid, dependable employee who cooks at home and doesn’t go out on tequila-fuelled benders”. It also says “F_R_U_G_A_L” and “W_E_L_L_P_L_A_N_N_E_D” in a code even the dullest-edged bosses can quickly grasp. As usual, torn fresh herbs and a squeeze of suitable fresh citrus juice make things look and taste fancier than they actually are. With the compelling aromas of these dishes, it’s great if the plate you’re digging into also looks the part.

Dips and crudites

Raw is still very ‘it’, but those layered salads in a jar are all a bit 2017. So if your workmates are judgmental fashionistas – I’m looking at you, young woman with the corkscrew-blonde hair and YSL Niki 105 boots – go with vertical stripes instead. Quarter fill a large jar with your favourite dip (I choose hummus), and sprinkle over a complementary spice (I choose ground cumin and sweet paprika) and a glug of extra virgin olive oil. Now grab a handful of vegetable batons (I choose carrot, celery and cucumber) cut 1cm thick and as long as the jar is deep. Place them in the jar in a tight bunch so they are paddling in the dip. Screw on the lid and take to work. Offer the jar of sticks round like you are Don Draper on Mad Men passing round the Lucky Strikes.

If anyone asks, call this a deconstructed salad and not ‘crudités’, as it’s one of those rare food words that hasn’t become cool again. This is a more convincing claim if you’ve put a layer of chopped iceberg under the thick seam of hummus.

Again, a pinch of salt flakes, a squeeze of lemon juice and some herbs will add even more pep. In fact, why not grow a pot of coriander on your desk next to a big bowl of fresh lemons. Very stylish, and very functional.

A short note on office muesli

Of course, if you have a decent breakfast, you might not even mind missing lunch, so that’s why I always have a tub of low-fat, low-sugar homemade muesli at work. It’s mostly oats with a few nuts and seeds and the very occasional – and welcome – surprise of a dried cranberry or sultana every few mouthfuls. Very low GI, you’ll be full till teatime.