In the beginning, there was an empty lunchbox...

and the mother stared at it in fear and trepidation.

Until the school lunchbox pushed its way into the morning routine, the mother had no idea that something so small and simple, so plastic and plain, could cause fear to grip her heart daily, adding to the never-ending cycle of parental pressure already in place.

As if there wasn't enough maternal guilt already in the picture, now she would have to make sure that every day her darling had a nutritious, healthy, colorful, multi textured, multi vitamined masterpiece to open each day at break time. Would her lunchbox masterpieces stand up to the scrutiny of the seriously snippy teacher? Would they withstand the scorn of the other mothers - the stay at home moms with hours to spend on preparing winsome masterpieces each day, while she was dashing around from appointment to appointment, from shop to shop, and managing her daily juggling act?

And most importantly, would she be able to stand the rejection, the outright dismay, if her darling brought the lovingly created, beautifully crafted, perfectly packed lunch home... untouched?

Dear readers, I'd like you to consider this blog an online recipe book for moms who are desperate to do something creative for their children's lunch boxes, without cookiecuttered sandwiches, love letters or carved cucumbers.

I faithfully promise never to ask you to use a cookie cutter on a sandwich, or to cut heart shaped bits of watermelon. I also promise never to suggest you send soup to school with your child, or that you are a bad mother for, on occasion, resorting to a peanut butter sandwich. Because a change is as good as a holiday, even if it is an easy one.

I'll let you know if and when I've tried a recipe, but for the most part, I'm going to make this a collection of cool lunch box stuff I find out there on the Internet - the kind of stuff that I know I'd be able to make and freeze to haul out in the morning, the kind of stuff I reckon my boys would love to eat. If you've got anything that you'd like to add, please feel free to comment - I'd love to hear from you. Mostly about the lunches that your kids love - but anything else that you've got to add too.

Bon appétit!