Four savvy tips to make warming and cheap dishes for your winter pack lunch

SUMMER salads and cold sandwiches no longer cut the packed lunch mustard –  so it’s time to turn the heat up.

Thanks to insulated pots and stay-warm mugs, you can keep just about anything hot enough until lunchtime.

And, best of all, you can make cheap, delicious dishes and eat better for less.

POT LUCK: Keep food toasty in a food flask.

For good looks, you can’t beat Sho’s brightly coloured version that keeps food warm for up to ten hours from , down from £34.99 to £14.99.

It will cheer you up at lunchtime and you can even get your name engraved to stop it going missing.

For a familiar brand, the Thermos Stainless King Food Flask is down from £19.99 to £11.99 at The Range.

SOUPER SAVINGS: For soup on the go, the Nitro Hammered Effect Soup Flask from The Range will keep your broth or chowder warm for up to eight hours.

Down from £6.99 to £4.89, it claims to be leakproof, making it perfect for an autumnal picnic.

Just add a tin of your favourite soup for a cheap and warming meal.

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE: With your food flask, leftovers can have a new lease of life, stretching to an extra meal without stretching your finances.

If you’re making a pasta dish or curry for dinner, cook up a little extra to take for lunch the next day. Just heat thoroughly before putting in your insulated pot in the morning.

A lentil daal will warm you up. The Spice Tailor Tarka Daal makes two meals and is down from £3.15 to £2 at Sainsbury’s.

SIP WHEN YOU’RE WINNING: Having a hot cup of tea or coffee can really help keep you warm if you’re out.

But supporting your kids’ sports match with a steaming cup of coffee in hand can get expensive if you buy it from a shop.

Take your own instead in a Thermos Thermocafe blue tumbler from Tesco, £7.50, or £6 for Clubcard holders.

• All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.

Deal of the day

SLEEP softly on a half-price Slumberdown Soft and Huggable Mattress Protector, now £8 for a double.

SAVE: £8

Cheap treat

AT the Co-op you can bag two selected curries, two side dishes and four bottles of Cobra beer, or Diet Coke or Coke Zero, for £8.

SAVE: Up to £8.30

Top swap

STIR up some sorcery in Next’s orange or cream medium Pumpkin Casserole Dish, from £30, or get more dish for your dosh with Aldi’s 2.2 litre one, £19.99, pre-order online from today or get in store on October 9.

SAVE: £10.01