Grow your own lunch

A recent poll has found that more and more Brits are taking a home-made lunch to work with them rather than paying for overpriced food from high street vendors.

The BBC Good Food magazine poll found that a third of respondents are now taking their lunch to work more regularly than they did six months ago, with more than seven in ten (71 per cent) blaming the credit crunch.

The Daily Mails Anne Shooter explained that there is a sense of satisfaction to be derived from making up your own lunch box.

"There is no doubting the delicious, overwhelming wave of smugness when you watch other people pay for their generally unsatisfactory and over-priced sandwiches and snacks, while you reach into your bag for a Tupperware packed with tasty, wholesome, home-made goodies," she claims.

With this in mind, cash-conscious consumers may also wish to try their hand at gardening to grow their own food.

Growing food in the garden or greenhouse can add to that feeling of self-satisfaction when you open your lunchbox. Not only is it cheaper than buying at the supermarket; home-grown foods are often fresher and healthier.