I'm going on a day's training course on Thursday and we've been told that there is no on-site catering and no food outlets near enough to use at lunchtime so we're asked to take a packed lunch. Can anyone think of anything I can take that won't need refrigerating? The thought of ham salad sarnies that have been in my bag on a possibly hot day isn't exactly appetising.

Please don't suggest 'nothing' because I'll be having breakfast at 6am to get there in time and won't be eating until after 8pm in the evening.

Am I going to be stuck with either jam or peanut butter sandwiches?

Plenty of things can be stored at room temperature. Pies, Pasties, meat or cheese sarnies without the salad (unless you're ok with limp salad ).
Pepperamis or similar which are foil wrapped. Potnoodles/instant snacks where you only need hot water. Surely they'll have a kettle.

or just pig out on choccy bars and crisps

It's the meat/fish/cheese content I'm worried about! No outlet would be allowed to store food like that for hours without chilling it and i'm not happy at the thought of having to eat it. No kettle available so no Snot Noodles or soups possible. (There's a coffee machine, apparently, and that's all!)

Think I might go with your chocolate and crisps idea. Crisps, cake, flapjacks, choc brownies ... Thanks for the inspitation

I always take a packed lunch to work and rarely stick it in a fridge. Wraps, sandwiches, salads, pasta, fruit - it all seems to keep perfectly well. If you're concerned though, half fill a tupperware pot with yoghurt, add a load of frozen fruit and put that in with the rest of your lunch, and it'll act like an ice block thingy.

Supermarkets do it all the time with pasties/sausage rolls. They have the freshy baked stuff, then they have packs of 2 or 4 in bags in a container or on the counter top. They'll last fine for a day wrapped up.

Why not soup? No one said soup had to be eaten hot. Or you could buy/borrow a thermos.

I take a packed lunch to work every day and it never goes in the fridge (no room).
Most days it is a cheese or ham roll, with salad in.

Never had a problem of it going stale or soggy or being 'bad' for me.

I always make my lunch the night before and it goes in the fridge at home so the box and everything is cold at the start of the day, then it stays in my ruck sack, which is usually under a desk, so I guess it all stays fairly cool.

If you are worried, could you get to a £1 shop and get some freezer packs or gel packs then put one in with your lunch to keep it cooler.

If not, a plastic bottle filled with water and frozen solid will have much the same effect, though will probably not last quite as long.

As I say though, from experience, I wouldn't worry about it.

I would invest in a cool bag. You can use it again for picnics.

First of all, it's a bit out of order not providing lunch on a training course isn't it! Second, I'd just take fruit and crisps and biscuits, or a pot noodle or something, surely they'll provide a kettle, not a great lunch, granted, but only for a day, treat yourself to something proper when you get home.

J West do Tuna Salads & Chicken Salad in a foil tray, with fork included. No need to chill. Comes in 3 or 4 varieties.

good idea, cling film a bread roll to take with, bit of fruit for afters

Or... buy a lunchbox, which is also a coolbag. Just put one or 2 of the ice packs in.

They don't look like kiddies lunch boxes. Wilko sell them.

i'd get one that did look like a kiddies lunchbox, flask to match, at least no-one would nick it!

Rainbow Bright and Wuzzles were my daughters fav ones.

an ex of mine had Count Duckula, he was 32 at the time. I had The Muppets.

I sense a search for a Hello Kitty lunch-box coming on.

I think I'll go for fruit, flapjack and a packet of nuts. Unless I can find a lunchbox, in which case it'll be salmon, salad and fruit.

4 days out of 5 I take sandwiches to work in a cool bag. Also in there will be an apple and banana and a can of soft drink...all sitting on a couple of ice packs

I'd go the cool bag route, too. You can get some really good lunch size ones for a couple of pounds in Poundstretcher, Matalan or the like. Put an icepack in and freeze a small bottle of water to put in and you'll have a nicely chilled lunch and a cold drink, too.

The bag will also come in very handy afterwards (I use mine a lot for taking drinks and fruit on long car journeys) so you'll get your money's worth from it.

This probably sounds a bit daft or possibly obvious, but if you do buy a cool-bag make sure you buy one that zips up. I bought one once which had 2 compartments, 1 of which zipped but the other had a velcro closer...which kept opening!

I hate cold sandwiches, always have whatever I have for lunch at room temp, having sat in my drawer all day. Pasta or potato salads are nice at room temp, especially tomato based ones, fruit always tastes better a bit warmer so take a tub of strawberries / raspberries or a banana

Breadsticks, dried fruit and nuts are my standby - I'm always having to feed off food that stays ok in your bag! I'd get a load of coffee on the way in too - helps keep hunger pangs at bay.

You will be find with sandwiches. I never bung mine in the fridge still living to tell the tale. People worry too much.

Foil is better than cling film for keepings fresher. Poundland do cool bags and freezer blocks.