LUNCHES to be PACKED and CARRIED

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 2, 15 August 1950, Page 189

LUNCHES to be PACKED and CARRIED

By

EVELYN E. MOORE,

Rural Sociologist, Department of Agriculture, Palmerston North.

THE making of varied and interesting lunches which also have a high nutritive value seems to present a perennial problem if the number of children whose luncheon invariably consists of pies, fish and chips, or perhaps a cafeteria meal of tea, sandwiches, and cakes is any criterion. Many adults, forced to eat away from home at lunch time, prefer any sort of cafeteria meal rather than a carried lunch consisting always of slightly squashed sandwiches, varying only in their degree of staleness. Any attempt to provide variety in fillings is often spoiled by the admixture of flavours alien to each other, as occurs in the enforced intimacy of paper bagsoranges, cheese, chocolate cake, onion, vanilla biscuits, or other irreconcilable flavours cohabiting for several hours in a tightly closed lunch box, and perhaps aggravated by the lingering flavours of the previous day’s lunch. On the other hand, the housewife faced with the daily task of planning and preparing lunches while cooking the family’s breakfast and getting everyone ready for work or school cannot be blamed for becoming impatient with their demands and complaints. Consequently, to avoid monotony for both eater and packer lunches must be planned beforehand and as much of them as possible prepared during the previous day.

AMONG points to be considered are the nutritive value of the lunchit is one of the three main meals of the day and therefore should be as nutritious as breakfast or dinner the type of lunch preferred; lunches are frequently eaten in crowded school lunch rooms, or alone, or in unattractive surroundings, so it is important to whet the appetite by packing attractively a lunch its owner really likes. Ensuring Nutritive Value A lunch should be substantial enough to provide about a third of the daily need for energy and other nutrients. It should contain not fewer than three substantial sandwiches or their equivalent, and two sandwiches should have generous fillings of rich protein foods, such as egg, cheese, fish, liver, cottage cheese, meat, peas, beans, or peanut butter. At least two-thirds of the sandwiches should be made with wholemeal or wheat germ bread, though “two-tone sandwiches” (one slice of wholemeal and one slice of white bread together) add variety and may persuade otherwise reluctant lunch carriers to eat wholemeal bread. This improves the vitamin B content of the lunchparticularly the vitamin Bi content—and fillings of egg, cheese, or liver provide valuable amounts of vitamin A, others of the B group of vitamins, and iron or calcium. [Upper photograph hy Sparrow Industrial Pictures Ltd.

SUGGESTIONS FOR LUNCH MENUS

LUNCHES THAT GO TO SCHOOL MONDAY Cheese scones, buttered, with filling of mashed egg and parsley or cooked vegetable and salad dressing. *Buttered home-made raisin bread. Apple. TUESDAY Wholemeal-bread and butter sandwiches. Piece of cheese or, for variety, cubes of cheese and celery, pineapple, pickled onion, sliced cold saveloy, sausage, or cooked bacon on toothpicks. Grated apple and raisin sandwiches. Lettuce leaves or carrot sticks (salt in paper twist). WEDNESDAY *Liver-savoury sandwiches. Sliced yellow tree tomato sandwiches (seasoned with salt, sprinkled lightly with brown sugar, or spread with honey). Stick of celery. THURSDAY Liver-savoury and chopped pickles, celery, hard-boiled.egg, scrambled egg, or bacon sandwiches. Buttered bran and raisin gems. Apple. FRIDAY Wholemeal-bread sandwiches with filling of peas (from previous day's dinner) mashed with finely chopped mint and salad dressing or mint sauce, or wholemeal-bread rolls with mashed peas, lettuce, grated raw carrot, and salad dressing filling. Date and lemon-juice sandwiches. Drained stewed tree tomatoes in screw-top jar, peeled tree tomatoes well wrapped in waxed or grease-proof paper, or orange. (iBaa e. = a

LUNCHES THAT GO TO TOWN MONDAY Stuffed egg in lettuce leaf. *Cheese and bacon savouries. *Buttered nut-bread and date sandwiches. Orange sections in small plastic screw-top jar. Coffee. TUESDAY *Wholemeal-bread and cheese-paste sandwiches. Celery sticks. Pear. Coffee. WEDNESDAY Thinly sliced wholemeal bread and butter. *Lettuce roll-up. Ham, tongue, or luncheon-sausage sandwich. Apple. Milk. THURSDAY Sandwiches filled with cheese paste and chopped bacon, lettuce, sliced tomato, or cress. Apple turnover or fruit; jelly in screw-top jar. Raw carrot sticks. Coffee. FRIDAY Two-tone sandwiches (( slice of white bread and I slice of wholemeal bread) with smoked-fish filling (smoked fish cooked in milk, flaked and mashed to a paste with white sauce and a small quantity of lemon juice). Buttered oatcakes or crackers, spread with cheese paste, peanut butter, or vegetable extract. Milk or coffee. LUNCHES THAT GO TO A HEAVY JOB MONDAY *Aberdeen sausage sandwich with pickles or chutney and lettuce (from previous day's dinner). Buttered cheese scones. Apple and raisin turnover. Apple Vacuum flask of soup. TUESDAY Wholemeal sandwiches filled with cold sliced or minced meat moistened with salad dressing and minced celery. Oatmeal biscuits. Buttered rolls with salad filling, (lettuce or cabbage, grated raw carrot, sliced hard-boiled egg, and salad dressing). Vacuum flask of coffee. WEDNESDAY Wholemeal-bread and butter sandwiches. Piece of cheese. Sandwiches filled with peanut butter and chopped grilled bacon. ' Buttered gingerbread slices (from previous day's dinner). Pear. Vacuum flask of soup. THURSDAY Buttered rolls stuffed with grated cheese or cottage cheese, salad dressing, and chopped. onion. Honey and lemon wholemeal sandwiches. Vacuum flask of coffee. Apple. FRIDAY Chopped-bacon and scrambled-egg sandwiches. Vegetable-extract and lettuce, cress, or parsley sandwiches. Buttered raisin bread. Vacuum flask of coffee. Celery sticks.

Items for which recipes are given at the end of this article are marked with an asterisk.

Crisp raw fruits and vegetables not only carry well but are sources of vitamin C and other nutrients, and they help to clean the teeth at the end of the meal. Those which are good sources of vitamin S C include oranges, tomatoes, stunner apples, lettuce, swede or white turnips, radish, cress, and parsley; less valuable as sources of vitamin C are carrots, celery, other varieties of apples, and gears, but as they add variety and help to clean the teeth they are useful alternatives to the first group. Adults need a pint of milk daily and school children If pints, but sometimes it is difficult to consume sufficient unless a milk drink is taken at lunch time. Children receive milk at school, so milk need not be included in their lunches, but adult lunch carriers should ensure that a milk drink is a regular feature. Sweets, iced cakes, sweet pastries, and other foods high in energy value but deficient in minerals and vitamins should be avoided, as their excessive consumption is a predisposing factor in tooth decay, as well as tending to lower the consumption of minerals and vitamins below the level essential for good health. Packing the Lunch Tin Paper bags and cardboard boxes are not suitable for carried lunches. To put a paper bag of food in a suitcase or school bag with heavy books is to invite disaster; cardboard boxes cannot be washed and soon become stained and redolent of the flavours of past lunches. Lunch tins which can be painted attractive colours are easily washed, inexpensive, and light and convenient to carry. Differently flavoured foods and sandwiches should be wrapped carefully and separately in waxed or greaseproof paper to prevent flavours mingling and help to keep food fresh. Newspaper should never be used. Plastic bags and sheets of plastic specially treated for using with food are now available and represent a considerable saving because they can be used repeatedly, are simply washed, and are better than waxed or greaseproof paper for keeping sandwiches and other foods fresh. For carrying stewed fruits, fruit jellies, custards, orange sections, vegetable aspics, or other soft foods which may be included as an occasional surprise, small, light, plastic, screw-top jars and plastic spoons are available. They are more durable and of a more useful size than glass ones. Choice of Fillings A good supply of sandwich fillings which keep well is a useful adjunct to the lunch packer’s provisions. Stored in a separate cupboard and replenished when necessary, they ensure against the occasional appearance of a “scratch” lunch. Sandwich fillings should be easily spread, sufficiently moist to prevent the sandwiches coming apart, and well seasoned. Fillings which stain the bread or soak into it and make it soggy should not be used unless they are special favourites of the lunch

carrier. Peanut butter, pickles and relishes, mustard (for adults’ lunches), nuts, cheese and home-made cheese spreads, small tins of fish, meat, peas, or beans, salad dressing, meat or vegetable extract, and dried fruits are fillings which keep reasonably well and ensure plenty of variety. In families where they are popular as sandwich fillings, jams especially varieties which jelly firmly and do not soak through the breadand honey are useful. Preparation of Foods Leaving the preparation of lunches until the last moment before the children leave for school or the family for work is unwise. Sufficient amounts for 2 or 3 days of such sandwich spreads as liver or cheese paste can be prepared at a convenient time, covered, and stored in a refrigerator or cool safe. That does not necessarily mean that the lunches will be monotonous: A cheese spread may be sprinkled with chopped celery one day, with lettuce the next, and grilled bacon or a whole tomato may be used as an accompaniment on the following day. For people who like to prepare sandwiches on the previous evening plastic lunch bags are most useful, as they keep sandwiches fresh overnight. However, sweet and savoury sandwiches, fruits, and biscuits must all be wrapped separately to prevent the flavours from mingling. Time is saved and lunches arrive at work or school with a fresher flavour if lunch boxes and vacuum flasks are unpacked immediately they arrive home, washed, and left open to the air until the lunch is ready to be packed. For children who do not receive school milk, or for adults who cannot easily obtain a hot or cold drink at work, a vacuum flask in which to carry hot soup and hot drinks in winter and chilled milk or fruit drinks in summer is almost a necessity, as it ensures that beverages are kept m the best possible condition. Planning the Menu On the opposite page are some suggested lunch menus for school children, for outdoor workers, and for office workers, who, though they may not develop such hearty appetites, have just as great a need of an attractive, nutritious lunch. Something they can eat quickly and easily is probably the first requirement of younger school children, who do not want to spend their precious playtime arranging things for themselves. Anything in sandwich form is therefore popular, especially with boys. They like. something which can be traded or shared with a friend, and they do not like to be bothered with jars, spoons, or mugs which must be carried home. On the other hand, older children, and particularly second-ary-school girls like an occasional little surprise packed in with the everyday sandwiches, and savoury eggs, fruit salad, aspic or fruit jellies, custards, stuffed baked apples or pears, and other gelatine desserts, which are easily carried . in small screw-top jars, are popular.

The menus given are for sample winter lunches, with some alternative suggestions where ingredients may be unobtainable. Because bread is often stale and unpalatable on Mondays, lunches which make use of other foods are included. However, bread may be freshened quite easily by brushing the crust lightly with water, standing it on a rack in the oven over a baking dish of hot water, and baking it in a cool oven (250 degrees F.) for about half an hour. Lunches that can be packed into a small space are preferred by office workers; a small flat tin which fits into a shopping basket or brief-case is often more popular than the ordinary lunch box or tin. They like interesting foods, satisfying but not too high in energy value, and sticky or sweet sandwich fillings are usually less popular than savoury fillings. Where there are school children and office workers in the same family, lunch menus can, of course, be adapted to reduce preparation times. Other Sandwich Fillings Here are some sandwich fillings which can be used as alternatives to those in the suggested menus: For Summer Lunches Tomato with cheese, tinned fish and lemon, hard-boiled egg and parsley, or cucumber. Cucumber with lettuce and salad dressing or with cottage cheese. Creamed sweet corn. Asparagus. Sliced radish with lettuce and salad dressing or with cottage cheese. For Winter Lunches Peanut butter with relish, chopped celery, currant jelly, raisins, or shredded carrots. Tinned fish, mashed with lemon juice or vinegar, l salt, and pepper to taste. Cottage cheese with dates or other dried fruits, celery, onion, salad dressing, or grated raw carrot or chives. Baked beans mashed, alone or with sliced sausages or meat loaf, tomato sauce, bacon, or lettuce and salad dressing. Cheese and chopped chives. Sweet sandwiches Mashed banana, alone or with raspberry jam, a tart fruit jelly, lemon juice, raisins, figs, or prunes. Chopped dried fruits and grated apple. Mincemeat (equal quantities of minced dried fruits moistened with lemon juice and stewed apple, and flavoured to taste with ground mixed spices and ginger). Breadless Sandwich Cut two thick slices of cold meat loaf or Aberdeen sausage. Fill them with 2 tablespoons of left-over potato salad and lettuce leaves or pickle, and wrap the sandwich firmly in greaseproof paper. Recipes The recipes which follow are for items marked with an asterisk in the suggested menus.

' Raisin or Nut Bread 4oz. of white flour J to i cup of milk 4oz. of wholemeal J teaspoon of salt flour 5 level teaspoons of. 1 egg ; . baking powder - • 2 to 3oz. of golden 5 cup pf chopped syrup, .or honey raisins '7 : '■ loz. of melted butter . Sift the dry ingredients together and gradually add ' the beaten egg mixed with the melted butter, golden syrup, and most ,of the milk. Mix them to a soft dough with the remainder of the milk. The mixture should drop from a raised spoon. Pour it into a greased tin and bake it at 375 degrees F. (a moderate oven) for 1 hour. A third to half a cup of chopped nuts or dates may be substituted for raisins. Aberdeen Sausage lib. of minced steak 1 teaspoon of mixed Jib. of minced bacon herbs Jib. of minced liver 1 tablespoon of 2 sheep's kidneys, chopped parsley minced 2 cups (8oz.) of soft 1 tablespoon of ■ breadcrumbs minced onion ..J teaspoon of pepper 2 beaten eggs Combine the ingredients, shape the mixture into a roll, and tie it in a wellfloured cloth. Plunge it into boiling water, boil it for 5 minutes, simmer it for 2J to 3 hours, and press it until it until it is cold. Liver-savoury Sandwich Filling Jib. of minced cooked 1 tablespoon of liver minced onion 2 tablespoons of J teaspoon of salt chopped or minced 3 tablespoons of celery salad dressing Combine the ingredients thoroughly; 2 tablespoons of minced cooked bacon may be added if desired. Cheese-paste Sandwich Filling 4oz. of grated cheese 2 level teaspoons of 1 beaten egg flour 2 tablespoons of milk Salt and pepper Mix the milk and flour to a paste. Combine the ingredients and stir the mixtures over a very gentle heat or in a double boiler until it thickens. This may be varied by adding tomatoes. Cook Jib. of sliced skinned tomatoes or 1 cup of strained preserved tomatoes in a saucepan until they are soft. Add the grated cheese and continue cooking the mixture over hot water until it is blended. Add it to the remaining ingredients and stir the mixture until it thickens. Cheese or Bacon Savouries Cut bread thinly, spread it with butter, a slice of cheese and bacon, and bake it in the oven until it is crisp. Lettuce Roll-ups 2 tablespoons of seed- 1 tablespoon of grated less raisins raw carrot 1 cup of cottage J teaspoon of salt . cheese or cheese Salad dressing paste About 3 crisp lettuce 1 tablespoon of leaves chopped nuts Pour boiling water over the raisins, let them stand for 2 or 3.minutes, drain them, • and combine them with the cheese, nuts, carrots, and salt. Add sufficient salad dressing to hold the mixture together. Store the mixture covered in a safe or refrigerator until just before packing the lunch. Spread it on the lettuce leaves, roll them up, and fasten them with wooden toothpicks. . <