It's Raining Cats and Dogs: Pink Lining Child Lunchbox review

When it comes to Christmas, one of the things I can't stand are wasteful useless gifts. We all do it...that desperate last minute rush to buy a few extra presents to wrap to go under the tree. You end up paying for over-priced toot that ends up at the charity shop a few weeks later because it wasn't what the kids wanted or needed.

The presents I love to give and receive the most are the practical ones. Things that you know will be used and needed. One of my all time favourite Christmas presents was a window cleaning kit from my father-in-law. Every time I clean the windows I think of just how useful and thoughtful that gift truly was. 

My children love receiving things like new toothbrushes, toothpaste, and flannels in their stockings as part of their Christmas gifts each year. Items that are useful, practical and needed. 

With practicality in mind, at the top of Miss T's Christmas list this year was a new lunchbox. She started staying one day a week for lunch at preschool this term and until now has been using her big brothers hand-me-down Ben10 lunchbox because I hadn't got around to getting her one of her own. 

So when Pink Lining got in touch to see what gift item we would like to review for Christmas, I knew we would choose one of their gorgeous PL Child lunchboxes. 

The 'Raining Cats and Dogs' design is just beautiful with a red gingham-check cat appliqued on the front along with three embroidered flowers. The fabric carry handle has an adjustable clasp- something I've never seen on a lunch box before but a great idea to give a snugger fit for little hands. There are two fabric tabs on the zip which allows the lunch box to open completely (makes for easy cleaning!).

Inside a mesh pocket on the opening flap of the lunchbox provides a handy storage area for any small items of food you wish to keep separate. I can see this being a handy place for small pack of raisins or fruit/cereal bars. There is also a name label to stop this lunchbox going astray. 

The main compartment has an elasticated loop for holding drinks bottles in place. Miss T needs to take a small water bottle to preschool for lunchtimes so this is ideal (although today I have treated her to one of her favourite drinks - an innocent smoothie for kids carton to boost that 5 a day intake of fruit and veg). 

The lunchbox is thermo-insulated so with a small ice pack popped in should stay cool until lunchtime. The inside of it is wipeable. I have checked the size of this lunchbox and it would fit a yumbox container into it (I have ordered this one for Miss T for Christmas - sshh!). Of course, you can use your own containers as we have done here. We often recycle margarine tubs to hold sandwiches in and drinks bottles are washed thoroughly and re-used as small water bottles. 

The fabric surrounding the remaining outer of the lunchbox is of course, the raining cats and dogs design showing a very cute grey dog in differing poses, the outline of a startled looking red cat, and some cute blue ducks who I can only assume are there to splash in the (metaphorical) puddles. Some small flowers in different colours complete the design. 

Just as we took inspiration from Pink Lining's designs when I made a GBBO bake along wedding cake, once again I have taken inspiration from Pink Lining in creating a cute lunch to go into this lunchbox. 

In fact it was this very print on this lunchbox that has influenced our choice of lunch today. I am no bento lunch expert but I have noticed that by using a few cookie cutters and making lunch fun and interesting my children are more likely to try new foods and eat the food that is in their lunchbox. 

So here is our raining cats and dogs lunch...

• We happened to have a duck cookie cutter that looks very similar to the pink lining duck so that was used for cutting some bread and cheese slices. 

• We have a puddle of blueberries ready for the ducks to splash into.

• Our pretty little flowers are made of carrot slices using a cake icing cutter (the same one I used for the majority of my cake design before). 

• The umbrellas are a wholemeal wrap cut into a semi circle and a scotch pancake cut in half. A Lindt chocolate carrot umbrella handle saved from Easter makes the handle and the lines are drawn on with edible marker. The idea of using the Lindt packaging to make the umbrella handle is one I spotted on Eats Amazing last year in one of my all time favourite bento lunches - an Oliver Jeffer's Lost and Found themed lunch! 

Today in Miss T's lunchbox we also have a pack of raisins and a pack of Emily's fruit crisps (our favourite is the crunchy apple) tucked into the mesh pocket in the lunchbox. We discovered these at the BBC Good Food show recently and they are such a tasty healthy alternative to actual crisps.

Even when it's a 'having lunch at home' day, Miss T often loves having a packed lunch which she takes into her den to eat.

So all in all we think the Raining Cats and Dogs Lunchbox from Pink Lining is a wonderful practical beautiful gift for a child you know this Christmas!

P.S. Have you got your Christmas Stocking yet? See our review for the stunning personalised Pink Lining Stocking here. 

Disclosure: As Pink Lining Ambassadors we were sent the Pink Lining Raining Cats and Dogs lunchbox for review. All opinions are our own.