Remember the days when a satisfying lunch didn’t require a small loan? When a sandwich, a bag of crisps, and a drink could be yours for under £3? It wasn’t gourmet, but it was simple, affordable, and got the job done. But here’s where it gets controversial: those days seem to have vanished, replaced by a world where £15 salads and £7 baguettes are the new normal. What happened to the humble midday meal, and why are we paying so much for it? Let’s dig in.
I recently found myself in Pret a Manger, staring in disbelief at a lineup of salads priced around £15. These weren’t just salads—they were statements. Packed with roasted veggies, spiced seeds, and cold-pressed dressings, they looked like the epitome of health and indulgence. But £15 for lunch? Without a drink, a snack, or even a nod to the idea that this is supposed to be a quick, functional meal? It’s enough to make you wonder: What, exactly, are we paying for?
And it’s not just Pret. High-end salad bars and delis are popping up everywhere, catering to a crowd willing to spend big on their midday fuel. From Honest Greens to Farmer J, even Whole Foods’ build-your-own salad bar can quickly spiral into a £14 affair. The Salad Project, with its £20 bowls, reportedly sells 4,000 salads a day, with queues stretching around the block. This isn’t just a trend—it’s an economy.
But here’s the kicker: the best-value salad bar in central London might just be in the basement of Fortnum & Mason, where £10 still gets you a mountain of roast meat, grains, and veggies. It’s wellness with change to spare. So, what’s going on? Is this the new normal, or have we lost the plot?
There’s something unmistakably treatonomics about all of this. As a Millennial, I’ve been scolded for spending £5 on a flat white or avocado toast, as if those were the culprits behind the housing crisis. But this new era of £15 lunches feels different. At £15 a day, five days a week, we’re looking at nearly £4,000 a year on lunch alone. Treat days used to be rare; now they’re the default. And cheat days? They’ve been rebranded as protein-rich, fiber-forward meals, complete with moral reassurance.
To be fair, salads have evolved. Gone are the days of limp lettuce and dry chicken. Today’s bowls are roasted, spiced, and massaged (yes, kale can be massaged). According to Waitrose’s 2025 Food & Drink Report, fiber is back, fat is redeemed, and carbs are on a comeback tour. In this context, £15 salads start to make sense—or do they?
People are investing in their health, swapping pints at the pub for nutrient-dense bowls. But here’s the part most people miss: how healthy are these lunches really? Take Pret’s miso salmon salad bowl, priced at £14.95. It’s packed with good stuff—roasted salmon, avocado, edamame—but it also clocks in at 761 calories, 47.1g of fat, and 16.5g of sugar. For anyone raised on low-fat, low-carb diets, that’s a lot to stomach.
The High Steaks bowl from atis isn’t much lighter, with garlic-butter steak and roast potatoes pushing it to 735 calories and nearly 50g of fat. These aren’t light lunches—they’re hearty, dense meals. Nutritionist Jo Travers points out that while calories from whole foods like beans and nuts are better than fried chicken, portion sizes have become distorted. And this is the part most people miss: we’re often served more than we need, leading to that familiar 3pm slump.
Carbohydrates, in particular, can quietly multiply. Travers suggests a fist-sized portion of grains is plenty, but it’s easy to end up with double that. That’s when blood sugar spikes and crashes. The health halo around these salads can be misleading. While they’re made from whole foods, oversized portions can still lead to overconsumption.
So, where does that leave us? Hybrid working has shifted the lunch landscape. Fewer office days mean people are willing to spend more when they do buy lunch. But without daily constraints, lunch has become bigger, pricier, and more indulgent. Health, value, and indulgence have blurred into one—and the idea of a normal lunch has disappeared.
Here’s the controversial question: Have we gone too far? Salads used to be the dull, guilt-driven choice. Now they’re aspirational, oversized, and nutritionally impressive—but also faintly absurd. In fixing the problem of bad lunches, have we created a new one? What do you think? Are £15 salads worth it, or have we lost sight of what a simple, affordable lunch should be? Let’s debate it in the comments.
