School lunches always start with good intentions.

Then a few weeks into term, you’re standing in front of the fridge at 7am wondering whether cheese, crackers and an apple counts as lunch.

It does.

So this isn’t a list of elaborate lunchbox creations or sandwiches shaped like dinosaurs. These are easy school lunch ideas for kids that you can make quickly, prep the night before and — hopefully — actually see eaten.

A quick note: school allergy rules vary, so it’s always worth checking yours before packing anything new.

1. Chicken & Sweetcorn Pasta

One of our easiest go-tos, especially if there’s leftover chicken in the fridge.

You’ll need: 75g pasta, cooked chicken, sweetcorn, cucumber and a spoonful of mayo or natural yoghurt.

Cook the pasta, let it cool and mix everything together. Make it the night before and lunch is sorted. Tesco has a simple chicken pasta salad recipe here.

2. Cheese Quesadilla Wedges

Cheese melted inside a tortilla. Not exactly revolutionary, but that’s probably why children like it.

Put grated cheese over half a tortilla, fold it over and toast in a dry pan for a couple of minutes on each side. Let it cool, then cut into little triangles.

Add chicken, sweetcorn or peppers if they’ll eat them. If they won’t, don’t.

3. Ham & Cheese Pinwheels

This is basically a sandwich with better marketing.

Spread cream cheese over a tortilla, add ham and grated cheese, roll it tightly and cut into slices.

For some reason, cutting lunch into little circles makes it infinitely more appealing.

4. Pizza Pinwheels

A good one to make in a batch.

Spread ready-made puff pastry with tomato purée, sprinkle with cheese and add ham, sweetcorn or whatever you have around. Roll it up, slice into rounds and bake until golden.

Tesco’s pizza pinwheel recipe is an easy one to follow.

5. Tuna & Cucumber Pitta

Drain half a small tin of tuna and mix it with a spoonful of yoghurt or mayo. Add cucumber and spoon everything into a pitta.

You can also grate in a little apple for sweetness — Jamie Oliver does exactly that in his apple, tuna and cucumber pitta recipe.

6. Mini Egg & Cheese Muffins

These need a little more effort, but you can make enough for several lunches at once.

Beat four eggs, add grated cheese and whatever fillings your child likes — sweetcorn, ham or finely chopped peppers all work. Pour into a muffin tray and bake at 180°C until set.

Keep them in the fridge and grab one or two when you need them.

7. Mini Tortilla Pizzas

Spread a tortilla with tomato purée, add cheese and your chosen toppings and bake for around 10 minutes. Let it cool and slice into wedges.

Pizza for lunch without actually sending a slice of last night’s takeaway. Tesco has a simple tortilla pizza recipe here.

8. The DIY Cracker Box

Possibly the easiest school lunch on this list.

• Crackers
• Cheese
• Ham or chicken
• Cucumber
• Grapes, berries or apple

Put everything into separate compartments and let them build their own lunch. Essentially a homemade Lunchable, only you know exactly what went into it.

If you need a sturdy box for this kind of lunch, have a look at our lunchboxes we’d actually send to school.

9. Falafel & Pitta Box

Another almost-no-cooking option.

Pack a few falafel with pitta triangles, cucumber, carrots and fruit. Add a dip if your school allows it and your child will actually eat it.

Done.

10. Chicken & Couscous Pot

Couscous is incredibly handy because it takes about five minutes.

Make a small portion, let it cool and add chicken, cucumber, sweetcorn and a little feta. A drizzle of olive oil is enough.

And if your child wants plain couscous and chicken? That works too.

11. Cheese & Cucumber Sandwich

We’re not banning sandwiches.

Sometimes a cheese sandwich is exactly what you need. Add thinly sliced cucumber and cut it into halves or quarters.

One tip: pat the cucumber dry first so you don’t end up with soggy bread by lunchtime.

12. Chicken Mayo Wrap

Another very useful home for leftover chicken.

Mix shredded chicken with a little mayonnaise, add cucumber or lettuce and roll it up in a tortilla. Cut it in half or into little pinwheels.

Five minutes, maximum.

13. Cream Cheese & Carrot Roll-Ups

Spread cream cheese over a tortilla and add finely grated carrot. Roll it tightly and slice.

You can add cucumber, ham or chicken too, but it’s equally good kept simple.

14. Last Night’s Dinner

Possibly the best school lunch hack of all: don’t make lunch.

Just make a little extra dinner. A good food flask works for pasta, meatballs, macaroni cheese, rice, soup or mild casseroles.

Warm the flask first with boiling water, then add the hot food. Suddenly one dinner has become two meals.

15. The Emergency Lunch

There will absolutely be mornings when none of the above is happening.

Make a sandwich, add some fruit, throw in a yoghurt and a snack and send them to school.

Nobody needs to produce an inventive lunchbox five days a week.

Keep it simple

You really don’t need a completely different school lunch every day.

Find three or four lunches they genuinely like, keep a few easy snacks and fruit around, and rotate them.

Back-to-school season gives us enough to remember without having to reinvent the lunchbox every morning.

And if you’re still sorting the rest of the school bag, our guides to kids’ water bottles for school and the essential parent back-to-school checklist should help.