ARMOURY UR
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS
StACK-A-snACK StACK St ACK-A-snACK ACK
A HEALTHY LUNCH IS A GREAT THING, MADE EVEN BETTER BY A HEALTHY CONTAINER TO CARRY IT IN, RECKONS MATT BIELBY It’s a lunch box! Just like I used to take to school everyday, but metal like a tiffin tin. I’ve seen these before. Not quite like this, you haven’t. (Though yes, these are also from India.) Crucially, they’re made entirely of stainless steel – no plastics at all – but with more of a lunchbox feel than standard tiffin tins. And they come in a number of different shapes and sizes – not just round, but rectangular too – meaning they’ll pop into your work bag that little bit easier. Sounds good! The range is called My Cleverbox, and it’s the brainchild of Bristol lass Jyoti Shaw, who runs an online outfit called Eqo Living. (Yeah, like ‘ego’ but with a Q.) These guys are all about cool, ethical jewellery and beauty products, with a sideline in bags and lunch-on-the-go items – they already carry the LunchBots range of metal
lunch boxes, for instance – but now she’s come up with her own version. So far there’s a two-tier rectangular stacked set (with a little mini-box to go inside or carry separately, designed for condiments or a tiny pud); a three-tier round set; and a ‘giant’ two-tier rectangular set, again with an accompanying mini box. They’re not crazy-expensive, either, at £20 for the cheapest set and £35 for the big one. And everything’s stainless steel? Yep, the lot. Glass is too heavy and impractical for lunch containers, and plastic is, well, plastic – and if 2018 is about anything, it’s about trying to avoid using it. These boxes are made by a family-run business in India with good ethics, says Jyoti, and use high quality food-grade stainless steel 201, containing around 18 percent chromium (needed to avoid corrosion,
and ensure a long life). “Stainless steel doesn’t harm people during its production or use,” she says, “and has a very low emission footprint. And eventually it can be recycled into another steel product, which will be just as good.” I’m sold. Me too, and I don’t think Jyoti is going to stop here. The My Cleverbox website is full of tips on how to live a plasticfree life – cook from scratch, get your milk in reusable glass bottles, buy washing powder in cardboard boxes – and she’s already adding to the range with smaller, non-stacking snack containers (£7, whether round or rectangular), and even reusable stainless steel straws, either straight or with a kink in them (also £7, for a set of four). My Cleverbox lunch box sets from £30; available from mycleverbox.co.uk
THIS MONTH • STEEL THE SHOW • FEEL THE HEAT • HONEY TALKS
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