5 Lunches under £5

We all do it. Sit in the office, working through lunch, with only a soggy sandwich or some reheated leftovers for company. But we shouldn’t do it. We need to reclaim our lunch breaks. We need to take time out in the middle of the day to recharge, to be sociable, and to eat some delicious food. Here’s my top tips for a super lunch that won’t break the bank.

The Kitchen at The Cookie
We were invited to a lovely blogger night at The Kitchen recently, and this week I returned to try their lunchtime deal for myself. It’s a fiver for a sandwich, homemade crisps and a hot or cold drink of your choice down there on the High Street – and what a deal it is. I tried the Cuban sandwich this time, which was delicious and HUGE. I literally could not eat anything for the rest of the day. Highly recommended.

The vegetarian mushroom, spinach and ricotta melt is A-MAZING. This much I know.

Back to @thekitchenleic to try the Cuban. If you missed my review check it on extremehousewife.blogspot.com #foodporn #pulledpork #foodbloggers
A photo posted by Laura Hadland (@morrighani) on Jul 27, 2016 at 5:05am PDT

Soft Touch sMASHing Pop-Up Cafe
Support local young people who are not in education or training learning new cooking skills by heading over to the Soft Touch Pop-Up Cafe at 50 New Walk. On Thursdays 12pm-2.30pm and now coming to us all on a Wednesday too, they have a great selection of salads, sandwiches, soups and delicious cakes. I can confirm it is yummy and with prices varying around the £2.50-£3 mark depending on whether you eat in or takeaway, you cannot argue with the value!

Great to see @PeteTaxMiller @SoftTouchArts for the first Wednesday #sMASHing #cafe pic.twitter.com/JtrLG3VvtZ
— harinder sahota (@MsHKS) July 27, 2016

I Buongustai
Fast food, quality ingredients, great prices. I Buongustai are a great choice for great food on the go. Paninis, cute little (filling!) calzone, and a range of other Italian dishes are all available for under a fiver. I took some colleagues along today and they were in absolute awe at the quality of the food and the super-cheapness of it all – another reason to take working in Leicester over Central London! There’s a lot of love on social media for this little Granby Street stop, particularly for their vegan friendly offerings.

#plantbased calzone from @I_Buongustai #leicester Massimo made it to spec & only £3! Fab people great food #vegan pic.twitter.com/GUR5c7hzjv
— Rajiv Shah (@rajivshah) June 24, 2016

Real Junk Food Project
If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you’ll know these guys are my favourites. Feeding bellies, not bins, they intercept food before it becomes waste and make it in to delicious, nutritious meals for you to enjoy. And you can pay as you feel. A fiver would do the trick, but less is OK – whatever you think the meal is worth. Or you can bring some books for the book swap, contribute a song, volunteer some time to helping out, it’s a real community venture. Head over 11am – 2pm (or thereabouts) on a Friday at LCIL on Andrewes Street (or if you want to go for dinner, pop along on a Thursday 7pm to 8.30pm. Veggie and vegan options available – and more often than not, something gluten free too!

Marrakech
Venture up London Road to Highfield Street and you can have some top quality Moroccan food. It’s great at any time of the day, but the last time I visited you could get their set lunch for £5 – with a mezze starter, choice of main and bread, which was very delicious and very filling. Mind you, that was a while ago, so I guess I should go back and double check on that offer for you all… Oh, the sacrifice! Alternatively, you could also try the Harira vegetable suit for £2.95.