Reusable food flasks are ideal to take to the office or if you’re off on a mountain hike, to let you drink hot beverages or soups, on the go. One purchase should last you years, so they work out cheaper long-term than buying inferior brands or having to buy ready-made soups from shops.
Don’t drink boiling hot soup or drinks direct from wide-opened tops, to avoid risk of scalding. If used for drinks, avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing and affected medical conditions. Note coffee shop tea and coffee is often much higher in caffeine, so is over NHS guidelines.
Ocean Bottle Brew Flask is an update on those old Thermos tartan flasks with plastic lids. This is made from recycled materials (including stainless steel) with a 360 degree drinking design and a leakfree lid to keep drinks hot all day. For each purchase, the company donates to a charity that clears 1000lb of plastic bottles from our oceans.
powder-coated reusable food flasks
Kept for Life is a brand of stunning reusable food flasks made from quality stainless steel, with colourful powder coatings. Fill with soup or stew for when you’re out and about (don’t drink hot liquids direct from wide mouth). A portion of profits from the sale of each bottle goes to Surfers Against Sewage, a charity that is helping to clean up our beaches. The food flasks incude a spork (combination of a spoon and fork).
The range also includes matching water bottles to stay hydrated (filling twice a day is around the average water intake recommended for most people). Designed to last forever, the bottles are 600ml and sold alongside double-walled leakproof 340ml travel mugs. Easily recycled at end of use, the mugs keep drinks hot for up to 6 hours and cold for up to 12 hours.
Plastic water bottles are not just expensive but also support the oil industry (plastic is made from oil) and also can even taint the taste of the water. England has good quality drinking water, so make use of it (it’s free!) Littered plastic bottles break down into microplastics and end up in our seas, where they are ingested by filter feeders (like whales)
an insulated lunch pot (with cork stopper)
This insulated lunch pot is designed to keep food hot or cold for hours, and features a unique cork stopper (cork bark is stripped every few years, no trees are chopped down to make it). Ideal for hiking or a chilly commute, it’s made from double-walled quality stainless steel and the lid has grooves for easy opening and closing. NHS staff get 15% discount, just enter your email.
The pot keeps contents cold for 8 hours or hot for 6 hours, and the extra wide diameter means it’s easy to eat from. The silicone dish at the base stops the food pot slipping, and there’s a steel plate under the lid to retain heat, and to ensure no plastic content with food.
a leakproof lunch box (with sauce pot)
This leakproof lunch box is from a quality brand, which includes a sauce pot and a stainless steel fork. Designed to last for years, it’s designed to avoid the waste and expense of plastic lunch boxes or bags. Made from BPA-free polypropylene and silicone, it has a roomy box plus the little sauce pot compartment fits snugly inside, and all parts (bar the lid and fork) are microwave-safe, and the pot itself is dishwasher-safe. NHS staff get 15% discount, just enter your email.
Inspired by Japanese Bento Boxes, the sauce pot means you can hold it until you’re ready to dress your food (no more soggy salad) and the optional inner dish can also partition your food (say cold salads stay away from hot veggies). There’s a clip to hold the fork on the outside, and the lid pot lets you also carry fresh parsley or vegan Parmesan.
