TUMTUM BUGS Lunch Bag and Lunch Box Review

Ever since I bought my first TUMTUM lunch box at the beginning of the year, I have been a big fan of the company.  I was really impressed with both the quality and design of their original Trainee Lunch Set, so went looking to see what else they have designed.  I loved the look of their great range of brightly coloured feeding products for children (all designed here in the UK), and was very excited when they launched their new BUGS range earlier this year.  The range covers all you might need for packing the cutest packed lunch ever, and my absolute favourite product from it has got to be the Ladybird Lunchbag.  Thanks to the generosity of TUMTUM, I have been given the chance to review the whole range, and I'm starting today with a review of the BUGS Lunch Set and the aforementioned matching Ladybird Lunchbag.

When our box full of gorgeous TUMTUM products arrived, Small Child was beside himself with excitement!  He was pulling everything out and saying "Is this for me Mummy, is this for me?" and when the ladybird lunchbag was finally revealed he firmly said "This is mine!".  I had to bite my tongue and agree, that yes, it was indeed for him - whilst reminding myself that I am in fact 32, and not still a six year old! It is quite simply the cutest lunch bag I've ever seen, and I would have cut off my right arm to have one just like it when I was a child!

The lunchbag is beautifully made, it feels really sturdy and has been finished to a high standard.  The design is on both sides of the bag, with cute little feet that bend out to 'sit' when you put the lunchbag down. One side zips down to form a handy placemat (particularly good for picnics!) and the bag is fully insulated.

Inside, there is a handy net pocket at the back which comfortably holds a couple of mini gel ice packs (I use these ones by Polar Gear), and I was pleased to find that the bag has space to hold a lot more than I initially thought from looking at the outside. I tried it out with the lunch box, water bottle and cutlery set (there was room to spare) and also the nesting box set plus water bottle (it felt a bit like playing tetris, but it fit easily enough!).

The BUGS lunch box, which as you can see above fits perfectly in the Ladybird Lunchbag, is the same shape and size as the original trainee lunch set.  It has a removable container in the middle which acts as both a divider and a handy container for a dip or tiny snack.  The bright and colourful bugs design on the front makes it a really attractive box, and the red of the main part of the box made it a big hit with Small Child, as it's his favourite colour! Like all TUMTUM products, the lunch box is BPA free, and it is dishwasher safe too.  This lunch box is the perfect size for bento-style lunches, and although its shape doesn't make it ideal for standard sized sandwiches, with a bit of creativity (and a large circle shaped cookie cutter!) you can easily find a way to fit some in.  It would be a particularly good box for foods like pasta or rice salads, the shape and clever divider means that you would have plenty of space to pack a side dish as well as a decent sized main portion.

Of course no lunch box review would be complete without a lunch packed in it! I decided to attempt a ladybird themed lunch to match the set, and had great fun creating it! I started with a ladybird sandwich, which I made by cutting a ham sandwich into a circle using the a big round cookie cutter.  I used the same cutter to cut out an extra piece of ham to put on the top, then use a mini circle cutter to make the dots, and a sharp knife to cut a triangular shape from the middle, thus turning it into a ladybird. I finished it off with antennae made from a couple of pink polka dot picks.  On the side he had a Babybel, which I cut in half and decorated with ladybird picks, some raw sugar snap peas, carrots, cut into flowers using a mini bento cutter and decorated with leaf picks, raisins, and an apple, which I turned into a ladybird with the aid of a sharp knife and mini circle cutter to make the dots.  The ladybird's head was made from a red grape, with slivers of apple skin for antennae.

Small Child loved having a ladybird lunch in his ladybird lunch box! We have made several lunches in it since, and I am sure that it will continue to be in regular use over the next school year.  He has been using the lunch bag every day - I was really pleased to find that it easily fits most lunch boxes including our beloved Yumbox!

The TUMTUM BUGS Lunchbag and Lunch box set is available in various shops and online including directly from the TUMTUM website or from Amazon UK.  You can click on the pictures below to be taken to the Amazon listings.

 

I look forward to packing many more lunches using these gorgeous TUMTUM products!

Grace

Disclosure: I received a free TUMTUM Lunchbag and Lunch box set for the purposes of carrying out this review, however all opinions expressed in this post are my own.  I have no affiliation to TUMTUM, and was not otherwise compensated for this review. 

This post contains Amazon affiliate links; I may receive a small commission on items purchased through the links.