I tested 40 lunch boxes – here are the best in the UK for leaks, looks and sustainability
If packed lunches are a high-stakes game in your household (as they are in mine), the right lunch box is crucial. There’s nothing worse than opening the lunch you’ve been looking forward to since 8am to find yoghurt has leaked on to your sandwich and your cucumbers have dried out.
A lunch box may look like a simple bit of kit, but keeping food contained from kitchen to school dinner hall or workplace desk is a surprisingly demanding job. And the humble lunch box has come a long way from the simple plastic tubs that used to contain our clingfilm-wrapped, squashed sandwiches at school. Today, you can find bento boxes with multiple compartments, stainless steel containers, silicone pouches and leakproof designs promising to keep everything from yoghurt to salad dressing safely contained.
But more choice doesn’t necessarily make it easier to choose one. If you’re trying to cut down on single-use packaging, a good lunch box should be durable enough to last, practical enough to use every day and, crucially, capable of keeping its contents where they belong. I tested 40 to find the best lunch boxes for packed lunches at all ages.
At a glance
Best lunch box for adults overall
£23.95 at Black+Blum
Black+Blum Lunch box OriginalBest lunch box for kids overall
£22.99 at John Lewis
Munchkin Kids’ bento lunch boxBest budget lunch box
£15.95 at Amazon
Brabantia Make & Take lunch box bentoBest lunch box for sandwich lovers
£40 at Selfridges
Stanley Legendary Classic Useful boxBest stainless steel lunch box
£33.95 at Black+Blum
Black+Blum Stainless steel lunch boxBest insulated lunch box
£19.50 at John Lewis
Thermos Icon Series food flask
Why you should trust me
I’ve spent the past six years testing products for articles like this one. That’s meant sorting the wheat from the chaff in various situations, whether setting up seven side-by-side trampolines in the garden (my kids loved that commission) or filling my house with flowers to the point my delivery drivers worried there was something gravely wrong with me. So I’m well versed in assessing products.
As luck would have it, my lifestyle also requires the frequent use of lunch boxes. I have three primary-school-age children, so I am often found in the kitchen at 7.30am, cramming lunch boxes full of healthy delights that will doubtless be discarded in the school dining hall. I’ve suffered the thrills (few) and spills (many) of several different lunch box formats, so I was eager to find ones that actually keep things in place and still appealing by 1pm.
How I tested
I started testing the lunch boxes (40 in total) with my kids at the end of the school year. By this point, I was at a low ebb of patience with packed lunches, so if I was wowed by a lunch box, I knew I was on to a good thing. But lunch boxes aren’t just for kids, so I also packed my own lunches for days out to the beach, the park or just a nearby bench to get away from my desk.
My kids dutifully and unwittingly tested the lunch boxes to their absolute limits. They were crammed into school bags, chucked across playgrounds (and I mean chucked), and left on school playing fields over the weekend. If you haven’t had to fish three lunch boxes out of the mouldy lost property on a Monday morning, are you even living?
I took a slightly more scientific and mildly less chaotic approach at home. I filled the lunch boxes with water and shook them hard, checking for drips. I then left them on their sides for 30 minutes to see if any water found its way out.
Of course, yoghurt, salad dressings and hummus don’t act in exactly the same way as water. I also made a range of lunches to see how they stood up to the pressure. Could I squeeze in a bag of Walkers? Did my salad end up tasting faintly of metal? Did dressing survive the walk to my favourite bench down the road?
No one wants to lug around a lunch box that weighs the same as a small baby, so I also weighed all the lunch boxes when they were empty. I looked at how practical the compartment sizes were – it may be delightful to see lots of little boxes, but do they work in the real world? And I spent a lot of time at the kitchen sink, washing up lunch boxes to assess how easy they were to clean.
Lastly, as this is the Guardian, sustainability was an important factor. I investigated the materials the lunch boxes were made from, how durable they seemed (this is where the chucking became key), how easily I could find replacement parts, and how recyclable they were at the end of their life. A manufacturer’s warranty or stated lifespan was welcome, too.
After testing I donated all the lunchboxes to the Salvation Army, which sells secondhand items to raise funds for its work.
The best lunch boxes
Best lunch box for adults overall:
Black+Blum lunch box Original
Black+Blum
Lunch box Original
from £23.95
What we love
Flexible option; good selection of compartments
What we don’t love
Too big to slip into a small bag
Black+Blum is best known for its stainless steel lunch boxes (more on that later), but this plastic lunch box will turn heads. It comprises a 1l clip-top main box, an inner dish with a lid fitting a stainless steel fork, a sauce pot and a “garnish area”. It also has a vacuum seal and a lifetime guarantee (with limitations). Black+Blum sells the lid separately if you ever lose it or the seal goes.
Why we love it
However fancy you go with your packed lunch, this lunch box is probably up to the job. Did I mention the “garnish area”? I whacked in a trusty chicken caesar salad for my walk to the park bench, and found I was able to keep most vital components separate until I wanted to mix them. Chicken, parmesan and croutons in the inner dish, salad leaves in the main compartment and dressing in the sauce pot. I liked that I could clip the fork on the outside of the box if I didn’t take the inner dish with me – although storing cutlery on the outside of the box does slightly give me the ick.
This lunch box definitely feels more grownup – I wouldn’t trust my kids to bring all the components back from school, and they’d probably find it boring. But as an adult, I loved it. The clips are robust and won’t prise open when they shouldn’t, and the vacuum seal keeps everything fresh. I also found it easy enough to open. The sauce-pot lid screws firmly shut and is fairly leakproof, except during vigorous shaking. The inner-dish lid just fits on with no seal, so this won’t lock in anything too saucy. Washing it didn’t fill me with deep joy, due to the many components, but it lacks any nooks and crannies.
It’s a shame that … while it says it’s dishwasher and microwave safe, the lid isn’t. Also, it’s pretty bulky.
Material: BPA- and BPS-free polypropylene, Tritan and silicone
Capacity: 1l
Weight empty: 510g
Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 6cm (WDH)
Dishwasher safe? Yes (but not lid)
Microwave safe? Yes (but not lid)
Freezer safe? Yes
Number of compartments: 4
Black+Blum
Lunch box Original
from £23.95
What we love
Flexible option; good selection of compartments
What we don’t love
Too big to slip into a small bag
Best lunch box for kids overall:
Munchkin Kids’ bento lunch box
Munchkin
Kids’ bento lunch box
from £22.99
What we love
Perfectly balanced and sized for kids
What we don’t love
A lot of plastic; could be easier to wash
A versatile little box with everything kids should need for lunch: plenty of compartments, cutlery and an easy-to-open clip. This colourful lunch box also feels seemingly indestructible, surviving a school day and a night in lost property.
Why we love it
My mini testers were drawn to these boxes in tropical colourways. Inside, there’s a moulded plastic inner tray with five compartments. The lid has a removable silicone inner, which also has nodules you can snap the stainless steel fork and spoon into. That’s right – there’s a spoon and fork included, which is great for primary-age children. All the compartments are a decent size for smaller appetites. I could just about fit a sandwich in the main compartment and empty a packet of pretzels into one of the long, thin compartments.
As the silicone seal encloses each compartment separately, you can chuck a pasta salad in one compartment, and it won’t filter into the yoghurt in the neighbouring area – not the case on many kids’ lunch boxes I tested. My kids seemed to find the bento format exciting, and anything that focuses them on actually eating in the school lunch hall is a big tick for me – the box came home empty.
It’s a shame that … it’s a hefty bit of plastic, and there’s no way to buy spare parts – my kids lost the spoon. While it’s dishwasher safe, it takes up a huge amount of space in there, and as the bottom compartment doesn’t lift out, hand washing is a bit more annoying.
Material: plastic and silicone
Capacity: 500ml
Weight empty: 740g
Dimensions: 23 x 20 x 7cm (WDH)
Dishwasher safe? Yes
Microwave safe? No
Freezer safe? No
Number of compartments: 5
Munchkin
Kids’ bento lunch box
from £22.99
What we love
Perfectly balanced and sized for kids
What we don’t love
A lot of plastic; could be easier to wash
Best budget lunch box:
Brabantia Make & Take lunch box bento
Brabantia
Make & Take lunch box bento
from £15.95
What we love
Plenty of space to pack a hearty lunch
What we don’t love
It takes up a lot of real estate in your bag
This is a practical – if large – lunch box. Inside the main compartment are two smaller boxes, one of which has a lid. There’s also a lift-out divider, which means you can lift everything out in one go if you want. Two clip fastenings and a seal around the lid of the main box keep things secure. All in all, it’s functional if not super sexy (and how sexy do you expect a lunch box to be?).
Why we love it
I was impressed with the number of useful compartments in this lunch box. They’re all large enough to be genuinely useful – you’ll easily fit a side salad or a decent portion of fruit in one of the smaller boxes. Some compartments in other lunch boxes seemed only suitable for a mouse’s lunch. With the divider in place and the boxes in situ, there is still enough space in there to fit a sandwich. It’s a shame that the divider isn’t adjustable, though, which would make it more flexible. But its rigidity does make it easy to take out everything in one go.
This lunch box is easy to clean, and you can stick the whole thing in the dishwasher. It feels robust and rigid, and the opaque colour means it didn’t pick up any unsightly discoloration in testing. Brabantia offers a five-year guarantee as well as spare parts – the seal on the main lid and the container with lid can be bought separately on Brabantia’s website.
It’s a shame that … it’s so big. You might need to carry a separate tote to take it to and from work. It’s great for picnics, though.
Material: BPA-free plastic, silicone seal
Capacity: 2l
Weight empty: 400g
Dimensions: 26 x 17 x 6cm (WDH)
Dishwasher safe? Yes
Microwave safe? Yes
Freezer safe? Yes
Number of compartments: 3
Brabantia
Make & Take lunch box bento
from £15.95
What we love
Plenty of space to pack a hearty lunch
What we don’t love
It takes up a lot of real estate in your bag
Best lunch box for sandwich lovers:
Stanley Legendary Classic Useful box
Stanley
Legendary Classic Useful box
from £40
What we love
Simple and functional design; easy to clean
What we don’t love
The price is steep; not watertight
Stanley is a big force in the water bottle market, and its lunch box kept following me around the internet when I was researching this article. It’s a satisfying functional stainless-steel design with two flip latches to hold the lid on. The inside is pretty capacious, with no frills.
Why we love it
It’s surprisingly hard to find a lunch box that will properly fit a sandwich without a hint of squashing: I really hate finding my sandwich crushed and sad at lunchtime. The Stanley Legendary was up to the job – with extra room for a packet of crisps and a piece of fruit. You could even fit a baguette sandwich in here with room to spare. Satisfyingly old-school. With a capacity of 1.18l, this box is slightly larger than the Black+Blum lunch box above. There’s only one compartment, though, so if you’re taking a range of dishes, everything will need to be premixed. And there’s no seal on this lunch box, so things are prone to leaking.
It looks great and feels well made – it’s rigid and would survive being dropped. In fact, at 480g, it feels incredibly robust. The mechanisms are simple, and with no seal to give way, this lunch box feels as if it would last and last. It’s easy to wash, too: dishwasher safe and with no bits and bobs to scrub (or lose).
It’s a shame that … it’s quite pricey for a single-compartment lunch box, and it’s definitely not leakproof – but it is a great pick for sandwich lovers.
Material: stainless steel
Capacity: 1.18l
Weight empty: 480g
Dimensions: 25 x 16 x 6cm (WDH)
Dishwasher safe? Yes
Microwave safe? No
Freezer safe? No
Number of compartments: 1
Stanley
Legendary Classic Useful box
from £40
What we love
Simple and functional design; easy to clean
What we don’t love
The price is steep; not watertight
Best stainless steel lunch box:
Black+Blum stainless steel lunch box
Black+Blum
Stainless steel lunch box
from £33.95
What we love
Super-fresh food; functional design
What we don’t love
It’s quite spenny
This large stainless steel lunch box has a capacity of 1l, just slightly smaller than the Stanley lunch box above. Unlike the Stanley, there’s a strong vacuum seal here, meaning it’s leakproof and will keep your lunch fresh. Inside is an adjustable divider, and on the outside, a coloured silicone band holds the metal fork and keeps the lid shut tight.
Why we love it
This lunch box was the perfect size for me, whether I was packing a salad or a sandwich. It’s a bit of a squeeze, but it can fit a sandwich as well as something on the other side of the divider. It can also fit a decent-size salad and keep it satisfyingly fresh thanks to that super-strong vacuum seal. It’s so tight, in fact, that you need to lift the valve before opening the box. In return, it’s totally leakproof. There’s no salad dressing pot provided, but you can be confident that a predressed salad won’t leak.
It’s safe to put the box in the freezer, oven or dishwasher (after removing the lid and silicone band). I liked being able to batch-cook a lasagne or macaroni cheese directly in the box before chucking it in the freezer for later. It comes with a lifetime guarantee, and you can buy spare parts on the website if you lose something.
It’s a shame that … the lid goes on so tightly that those with dexterity problems – and kids – might find it difficult to open.
Material: stainless steel
Capacity: 1l
Weight empty: 460g
Dimensions: 20 x 14 x 6cm (WDH)
Dishwasher safe? Yes (except the lid)
Microwave safe? No
Freezer safe? Yes
Number of compartments: 2
Black+Blum
Stainless steel lunch box
from £33.95
What we love
Super-fresh food; functional design
What we don’t love
It’s quite spenny
Best insulated lunch box:
Thermos Icon Series food flask
Thermos
Icon Series food flask
from £19.50
What we love
Great for keeping soup, porridge et al hot
What we don’t love
It’s fairly heavy and bulky
If you want to take a hot lunch on the go without access to a microwave, an insulated lunch box is a practical answer. This Thermos one has a decent 710ml capacity, which is enough for soup, pasta or noodles – even for bigger appetites. There’s also a lid that can double as a very small bowl if you’re in a bind, and a folding spoon that can be stowed in the lid.
Why we love it
This food flask is vacuum insulated, meaning there’s no air between the two metal walls of the container and very little material for the heat from your food to escape through. The result is that your food stays warm until lunchtime. Thermos advises filling the flask with hot water to warm it before putting food into it, which worked well for me – my testers said their pasta was still hot at lunchtime.
I also liked that there’s a spoon inside the lid. Often schools won’t allow you to use their cutlery if you have a packed lunch, and I’ve also had to scramble around to find cutlery during my own lunch break at work. This also meant I could take the flask to a park bench without worrying about forgetting cutlery (it has happened). Thermos offers a five-year guarantee and will, at its discretion, replace it with the same or an equivalent model if it’s defective. The brand also sells spare parts, including the seal and stopper.
It’s a shame that … it’s quite heavy, and the inner lid may be tricky for kids to open.
Material: stainless steel plus BPA-free plastic stopper and silicone seal
Capacity: 710ml
Weight empty: 510g
Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 19cm (WDH)
Dishwasher safe? Yes
Microwave safe? No
Freezer safe? No
Number of compartments: 1
Thermos
Icon Series food flask
from £19.50
What we love
Great for keeping soup, porridge et al hot
What we don’t love
It’s fairly heavy and bulky
The best of the rest
Elephant Box Click and Seal small lunch box
Elephant Box
Click and Seal small lunch box
£26
What we love
Genuinely leakproof; great sustainability credentials
What we don’t love
It’s pretty small for the price
Best for: a plastic-free lunch box
This Elephant Box lunch box is extremely robust – great for kids, adventurous types, or just surviving the office’s fridge Tetris. It’s made from food-grade stainless steel and has a silicone seal in the lid. There are also sturdy clips on each long side and a movable, removable divider inside. It’s genuinely leakproof – it withstood all my leak tests, including filling it with water and dropping it on a hard surface. If that’s not enough, the bright green elasticated strap is great for sliding in cutlery (not included). It’s a little on the small side, though, and the inner divider isn’t leakproof, so it won’t keep wet and dry stuff separate.
Elephant Box offers a 15-year guarantee on this lunch box, as well as a repair service and spare parts separately. There are some exceptions to this guarantee, however: it doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, or the seal or strap. There’s also a take-back scheme if you struggle to recycle your container at the end of its life. Elephant Box is also a Certified B Corporation and a 1% for the Planet member. The latter means Elephant Box has committed 1%of sales revenue to environmental causes. If you want to round out your set, you can also buy some excellent dressing pots to match.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it’s quite small and the clips and strap are a bit faffy.
Material: stainless steel, polyester strap, silicone seal; capacity: 800ml; weight empty: 278g; dimensions: 17 x 12 x 7cm (WDH); dishwasher safe? Yes; microwave safe? Yes (except lid; check exceptions before use); freezer safe? Yes (leave a gap for expansion); number of compartments: 2
Elephant Box
Click and Seal small lunch box
£26
What we love
Genuinely leakproof; great sustainability credentials
What we don’t love
It’s pretty small for the price
Sistema bento lunch box
Sistema
Bento lunch box
from £8
What we love
Cheap; plenty of compartments; robust
What we don’t love
A lot of plastic
Best for: a bento lunch box
The ubiquitous Sistema bento can be found in school lost property up and down the country. My kids have been using this box for years, and I’ve found it pretty indestructible, with a robust but easy-to-open click opening. There are plenty of compartments – the larger section has two layers, as does one of the corner sections – and the pot is leakproof, great for transporting yoghurt or hummus. The main compartment is big enough to hold a sandwich in the top. However, the bottom layer isn’t big enough to fit a packet of crisps or juice carton.
If your food container cupboard is a hellscape like mine, it’s also a mercy that these boxes are designed to be stackable. It’s dishwasher safe, but it does take up a lot of space in the dishwasher – and it’s a faff to hand wash.
It didn’t make the final cut because … there’s a lot of plastic, and only the pot is properly leakproof.
Material: phthalate- and BPA-free plastic; capacity: 1.65l; weight empty: 314g; dimensions: 22 x 19 x 8cm (WDH); dishwasher safe? Yes (top rack); microwave safe? Yes (except lid, which is attached); freezer safe? Yes; number of compartments: 5 (plus a yoghurt pot)
Sistema
Bento lunch box
from £8
What we love
Cheap; plenty of compartments; robust
What we don’t love
A lot of plastic
Brabantia Make & Take breakfast bowl
Brabantia
Make & Take breakfast bowl
from £9.95
What we love
Leakproof, light and inexpensive
What we don’t love
It’s specific, so won’t suit everyone
Best for: breakfast on the move
This two-compartment breakfast bowl is great for fans of overnight oats, bircher, granola and yoghurt. A screw-top compartment with a transparent lid is designed for dry goods such as nuts, seeds, fruit and granola, and underneath, a screw-lid sealed bowl has enough capacity for even the biggest morning feasts.
If you want to avoid those expensive Pret breakfast runs, this is a decent solution. I liked that I could keep my dry and wet foods separate until I wanted to combine them. Initially, I was concerned that the upper compartment wouldn’t be secure, but despite there being no seal, the lid stayed put during testing. The capacious bowl beneath fits a generous serving of overnight oats. And the real selling point of this bowl is that you can keep the dry food crunchy and unsquashed. This meant I could keep fresh raspberries intact or clusters of granola crunchy until I was ready for them. It comes with a five-year guarantee, and spare parts, including the silicone seal, are available separately.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it doesn’t offer the same versatility as other lunch boxes here.
Material: BPA-free plastic; capacity: 500ml; weight empty: 510g; dimensions: 11 x 11 x 11cm (WDH); dishwasher safe? Yes; microwave safe? Yes; freezer safe? Yes; number of compartments: 2
Brabantia
Make & Take breakfast bowl
from £9.95
What we love
Leakproof, light and inexpensive
What we don’t love
It’s specific, so won’t suit everyone
Pick Plates Pick snack box
Pick Plates
Pick snack box
from £12.99
What we love
Impressively robust – will outlive childhood
What we don’t love
It’s too small for older kids and adults
Best for: kids’ (and adults’) snacks
This cute box of tricks is the solution I wish I had when my kids were younger. It’s for slinging at them on the back seat of the car or in the pram when you’re out and about. There are four small compartments inside, which are the perfect portion size for smaller appetites.
The whole thing is made from silicone, including the valve. Remove this valve (the star on the lid) and compress the box slightly to squeeze out excess air, then reinsert it to seal it and keep everything a bit fresher. You can also remove the valve if you want to microwave the contents with the lid on. The whole thing feels pretty childproof – it’s soft and literally bounces if you drop it. Most importantly, it doesn’t leak, even when dropped from a height.
It didn’t make the final cut because … the compartments are small, so they lack versatility for bigger appetites.
Material: silicone; capacity: 500ml; weight empty: 298g; dimensions: 14 x 14 x 6cm (WDH); dishwasher safe? Yes; microwave safe? Yes; freezer safe? Yes; number of compartments: 4
Pick Plates
Pick snack box
from £12.99
What we love
Impressively robust – will outlive childhood
What we don’t love
It’s too small for older kids and adults
What you need to know
What makes a lunch box leakproof?
A continuous, tight seal around the container gives you the best chance of a leakproof lunch box. This is usually a silicone strip that fits snugly around the inside of the lid. The lid should also compress evenly around the whole box to seal it shut. A clip closure can also help keep the seal locked down when the lunch box is being jostled around in a school bag or during a work commute. Just keep the seal free of grease or crumbs – any residue will affect how well it works.
Which material is best for a lunch box?
There’s no definitive answer – sorry.
Stainless steel is durable and doesn’t retain smells or stains. On the downside, however, it can dent, is heavy and usually can’t go in the microwave.
Plastic is better if you want something lightweight that’s more likely to be freezer and microwave safe. However, it often holds on to smells and stains and can become brittle over time. You may also be keen to avoid it for environmental reasons.
Silicone is more unusual as a material for the whole lunch box, but not unheard of. Silicone lunch boxes are flexible and durable, but noticeably heavier than plastic and can retain grease – so cleaning them can be a real pain.
Glass lunch boxes are great for food storage, as glass doesn’t retain stains or odours and is relatively easy to clean. It can also often go in the oven, microwave and dishwasher. But again, they’re heavier and less robust, and you may not want your kid to be slinging around glass at school.
How to look after your lunch box
To keep your lunch box in tip-top shape for as long as possible, it’s imperative to wash it as soon as you can after eating. Salty or acidic food can be particularly damaging to a food container if it’s left to sit. Use a non-abrasive detergent and try to avoid scourers, as these can damage the finish. For hand washing, use washing-up liquid and warm water. If your lunch box has a removable silicone seal, take it off and wash it thoroughly from time to time. After you’ve washed everything, leave it to air-dry fully. Don’t reassemble a lunch box that’s not completely dry: trapped moisture creates conditions for mould, mildew and unpleasant smells.
Check whether your lunch box is dishwasher, freezer, oven and microwave safe, and always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Don’t put metal containers in the microwave – no good will come of that.
Is a more expensive lunch box worth it?
A pricey lunch box isn’t automatically better than a cheap one. Look at the construction and durability. If you want to invest in a genuinely good lunch box, look for a good seal, tougher materials, replacement parts and a decent warranty. A £30-£40 stainless steel lunch box that remains leakproof for years and has replacement seals available may be better value than a £10 box that needs replacing every year.
It’s probably not worth forking out for a super fancy lunch box with loads of compartments or clever features if they don’t actually solve a problem you have.
For more:
The best water bottles – tested
The best travel mugs for taking hot drinks on the go
The best backpacks for work, travel and wild adventure
Brilliant buys to supercharge school, work and everything in between
Zoë Phillimore is a journalist with 20 years of experience. She’s put many things to the test, from mattresses to makeup. She has become the go-to person friends and family consult with before making any purchase, earning her the nickname “Zoogle”. Aside from this, Zoë loves travel, being outside – especially on the beach – and reading. She has three children, who seemingly require endless packed lunches and have an unending talent for breaking or losing lunch boxes
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.