article: The cost of a daily lunchtime takeaway can be crippling and yet instead of making lunches at home the majority of British workers still pop to the high street to grab their midday meal. The 'meal deal' (which is not always a meal, or a deal) has seen us stave off the hunger pangs with soggy sandwiches, slimy salads and salty soups, spending an average of £1,840 a year. But we could save up to £1,300 a year if we just prepared our lunch at home. Cheese, crackers and charcuterie is a simple and delicious lunch which can be easily assembled in the office . Food website Food52's 'Not Sad Desk Lunch' series demonstrates just how simple it can be to bring healthy, cost-effective, and delicious lunches to work. These incredibly detailed ideas and recipes show how to make everything from easy-to-assemble options such cheese and crackers, to more complicated steamed Chinese buns, and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches . Each recipe on Food52 is contributed by a member of the team who promises to keep your midday meals 'both interesting and pretty.' If you're after something simple, cheese, crackers and charcuterie will do the job. Simply choose your favourites, assemble and eat; and If you're vegetarian, swap meat for pickled vegetables and you're good to go. Make something complicated like stuffed dumplings (left) or keep it simple with a toast tartine (right) Hannah Petertil has some inspired combinations which include Cheddar, apple, and bacon jam; mozzarella and prosciuotto or manchego and dried apricots. Keeping with the theme, you could also use the handy cracker to spread a variety of toppings. Make a Greek salad cracker with cucumber, olive tapenade and feta; a hummus cracker with roasted red pepper on top; pesto crackers with thinly sliced prosciutto; or smashed avocado crackers. Don't feel like spreading? Dip instead; simply decant your spreads into containers and away you go. Workers could save up to £1,300 a year if they prepared their lunch at home instead of buying pre-packed sandwiches and snacks from shops, research by vouchercloud.com revealed. More than 60 per cent of Britons who buy their lunches out spend an average of £1,840 a year, based on 46 working weeks, the research reveals. In comparison, those who prepare food at home spend just £552 over the same period - a saving of a whopping £1,288. The startling difference came to light following a poll of adults across the UK, which found that a fifth of Britons choose to purchase their work-time lunches as opposed to making them at home. Pita bread is also another wonderful lunchtime option and can be stuffed with any number of fillings, from hard boiled eggs, smoked meat and charred vegetables. Experiment with flavour combinations; stay Mediterranean with aubergine with chickpeas and coriander or keep it British with thinly sliced roast chicken, crisp lettuce and sweet baby tomatoes. Remember, anything you can put into a sandwich can be stuffed into a pita. Still sound too complicated? Try turning toast into a tartine. Spread with butter or mayonnaise and top with thinly sliced vegetables (radish and chicory, dressed lightly in lemon juice and olive oil work really well against crisp, hot toast) or layer slices of ham, chopped up dates and a salty cheese to make something a bit more glamorous. The site also has more complicated options for those who have time on their hands and want to experiment. Steamed pork buns, which are traditionally eaten as a breakfast food in China are self-contained dough parcels which  can be filled (bao) or unfilled (mantou). Jenny Xu from Food52 writes: 'Your first option is to go with the basic, unfilled mantou dough, then customise it to your heart's content.' Steamed Chinese buns (bao) are usually stuffed with meats such as roast pork and stir-fried mushrooms . You can stuff your bun with anything you like including pork, vegetables and even mushrooms, before you steam them. Freeze after steaming to keep them fresh and warm them in the office microwave. Looking for something even more exotic? Author of The Banh Mi Handbook Andrea Nguyen has a brilliant Vietnamese sandwich recipe which should satisfy the fussiest of lunchtime eaters. Banh mi rolls are the Vietnamese take on the baguette and typically contain Asian fillings such as pickled vegetables, chillies and coriander as well as roast meats. The bread is usually scooped out so that it resembles a cradle which your fillings can be placed in. To make sure your sandwich doesn't go soggy, pack your vegetables separately and assemble when you get to the office. Buns or banh mi not doing it for you? Stuff some dumplings instead. 'The best part about dumplings is that you can use anything to make fillings. I tend to lean towards two of my favorites: pork and chives for my meat option, and chives, egg, and vermicelli for my vegetarian option -- but these are only two out of numerous recipes out there,' Betty Liu of Food52 writes. Greek salad cracker with cucumber, olive tapenade and feta (left). Pita bread with eggs and vegetables (right) Feta, vegetable and rice bake . Ingredients . 400g Easy Cook Rice: 89p per kg . One courgette: 89p per 500g . One pepper: 49p each . 200g cherry tomatoes: 65p per 300g . 45g Solesta pitted black olives: 45p per 230g . 200g pack Feta Cheese: 89p per 200g . Store cupboard essentials: Red onion,eggs, dried basil, olive oil and salt and black pepper . Total: £4.89 . Method: Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5. Cook the rice as per instructions on the pack and allow to cool a little. Peel the red onion and chop into medium size chunks. Chop the courgette and the pepper to the same size as the onions and courgette. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Chop the feta into chunks the same size as the vegetables. Mix all the above along with the olives in a bowl with the olive oil and the basil. Beat the eggs, add the grated Parmesan cheese and mix with the rice. Grease the dish with some olive oil, spread the rice mixture over the base and up the sides of the dish. Pour the vegetable mix in the centre. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Cut into slices or quarters and serve. Crispy mash hash . Ingredients . 150g frozen chopped onions: £1.50 . Four teaspoons frozen chopped garlic: £1.25 . Two tablespoons frozen parsley: £1.25 . 700g frozen mashed potato: £1 . Store cupboard essential: Olive oil . Total cost: £5 . Method: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the onions and garlic, and cook over a low heat for three minutes. Turn the heat up a little, add the mashed potato and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally until crisped up around the edges. Season with black pepper, scatter over the parsley and serve. Pea and ham frittata . Ingredients . Frozen peas, 1 kilo bag:  £0.98 . Onion: £0.11 . Courgette: £0.41 . 70g pack wafer thin ham: £0.75 . Six eggs: £0.89 . Smart Price salad bag: £0.44 . Bag of four jacket potatoes: £0.98 . Store cupboard essential: Sunflower oil . Total cost: £4.06 . Method: Cook the peas on a pan. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook the onion and courgette for about five minutes, stirring often. Add the peas and ham and stir. Lightly beat the eggs, season and pour into the pan. Cook over a low heat for 20 minutes or until the egg is almost set. Finish your dish under the grill to set the egg, then cut into wedges. Serve with salad and jacket potatoes. Spring chicken casserole . Ingredients . Chicken thighs: £2.50 for 1lb . Loose brown onions: £0.16 . Loose courgettes: £0.30 . 400g can butter beans: £0.55 . 400g can chopped tomatoes: £0.34 . Total cost: £3.85 . Store cupboard essentials: Olive oil and one clove garlic . Method: Heat the oven to Gas Mark 5. Heat the oil in a large roasting tray on the hob. Season the chicken thighs and add to the tin. Fry for three to tive minutes, until browned all over. Remove and set aside. Add the onion, garlic and courgette to the tray and cook for three to four minutes.Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée and rosemary and simmer for one minute. Season, then return the chicken to the tray and add the butterbeans.Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked.
highlights: Food52 's Not Sad Desk Lunch series has inspiring midday meal ideas .
  Simple crackers and cheese or go complicated with stuffed steamed buns .
  British workers spend an average of of £1,840 a year on takeaway lunch .
  Preparing your lunch at home could see a saving of up to £1,300 a year .
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