Lunch Box (Serves 12): Is It Right for Office Catering?
By Baker's Seasonal Menu | Published: 2026-10-13
Category: Buying Guides
A practical buying guide to the Lunch Box (Serves 12) for office catering: what's inside, how many people it actually feeds, and when to choose something else.
Quick answer
The Lunch Box (Serves 12) works best for a meeting of about 10–14 people who want a mix of mini sandwiches and pastries without building a custom order. If your group is larger, has several dietary restrictions, or needs hot food, treat it as a base and add savouries or a second box rather than stretching one box too far.
What you actually get in the box
The Lunch Box (Serves 12) is built from two mini sandwich boxes and two pastry boxes. The sandwich side contains 12 mini rolls and sandwiches: four smoked salmon and avocado yoghurt on poppyseed sourdough rolls, four mini salami on cream buns, and four avocado and chickpea sandwiches. The pastry side adds six items: two croissants, two pain au chocolat, and two cinnamon buns. That is 24 pieces in total, which matters when you are estimating portions.
The catalog notes that the box may contain bones and olive stones, and that nutritional information sits with the individual products rather than the box as a whole. If anyone in your group has a severe allergy or needs precise nutrition data, check the individual product pages before ordering.
How many people it really feeds
A 24-piece box sounds generous, but the pieces are mini or individual-sized. For a light working lunch, plan on two pieces per person, which covers roughly 12 people. For a hungrier group or a lunch that replaces a full meal, assume three pieces per person and the box comfortably serves about eight.
The practical move is to order for the lower number and add a supplementary item rather than assume one box covers a larger team. A single Cheese Straw per person is an easy top-up because it is a savoury pastry that sits alongside the sandwiches without duplicating them.
When to add rather than upsize
If your meeting runs past lunch into an afternoon session, the pastry side of the box will disappear first. Adding a second pastry-focused item or a separate savoury keeps the afternoon covered without doubling the sandwich count.
For groups with dietary needs, the box already includes a dairy-free and flourless option elsewhere in the catering range, but the Lunch Box itself is a fixed selection. If several people need gluten-free or dairy-free food, a fixed box is the wrong format — order those items separately so nobody is left with only the salmon roll.
Decision rules for ordering the Lunch Box
- Rule 1: Count heads, then round down: Use two pieces per person for a light lunch and three for a full meal. A 12-person meeting that eats properly is closer to eight people's worth of food. If your headcount is above 14, order two boxes or add savouries.
- Rule 2: Check the fixed fillings first: The box contains salmon, salami, and avocado and chickpea sandwiches with no substitution. If your group avoids pork, fish, or certain textures, this box will leave gaps. Confirm the three fillings work before you commit.
- Rule 3: Add savouries for afternoon meetings: Pastries go first, so a meeting that runs long needs a savoury top-up such as a Cheese Straw per person rather than a second full box. One savoury per person is usually enough to bridge the gap.
- Rule 4: Handle dietary needs separately: A fixed box cannot serve several people with gluten-free or dairy-free requirements. Order those items individually so the box stays a supplement, not the only option. Two or more restricted diets means the box should not be the whole order.
Key product facts
- Lunch Box (Serves 12): 2 x 12 Mini Sandwich Boxes (4 Smoked Salmon & Avocado Yoghurt on a Poppyseed Sourdough Roll; 4 Mini Salami on a Cream Bun; 4 Avocado & Chickpea Sandwich), 2 x Pastry Box (2 Croissants; 2 Pain au Chocolat; 2 Cinnamon Buns). May contain bones and olive stones. The fixed mix of 24 mini items means you cannot swap out a filling, so check the three sandwich types against your group's preferences before ordering.
- Cheese Straw: GAIL's Cheese Straw is a savoury pastry made with crispy puff pastry and mature cheddar cheese, tagged for Instant C&C and Lunch. A useful add-on when the box is slightly short for a bigger group, since it adds a savoury option without repeating the sandwich fillings.
- 6 Flourless Chocolate & Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mousse Cakes: Box of 6 chocolate mousse cakes made with chocolate and extra virgin olive oil; flourless and dairy-free. A sensible separate order when someone in the meeting needs a dairy-free or flourless option, because the Lunch Box itself is a fixed selection.
Who the Lunch Box suits
Best for
- A 10–14 person meeting where a mix of mini sandwiches and pastries is enough
- Teams that want a single, pre-set order without choosing individual fillings
- Morning or midday sessions where no one needs a hot meal
Not for
- Groups larger than 14 where one box would be stretched too thin
- Meetings with several gluten-free or dairy-free requirements
- Events that need hot food or a fully customisable menu
