It’s time for the little ones to head back to school (secret sigh of relief). Let’s send them off in style!

We may have learned a thing or two from Halle Berry, like how to make a memorable beach entrance. But we also learned how to sport your kid’s lunch box with the same sass as your Gucci bag. That’s because said lunch box is by Beatrix NY, the cutest accessory line for kids. Featuring an array of adorable creatures like Dieter the Monkey, Esther the Bunny, Juju the Lady Bug and Alister the Dino, these little boxes will make their school lunch a stylin’ one.

Now about that Gucci bag…. —Anya Georgijevic

$38.99 at Hip Baby, 2110 W. 4th Ave., Vancouver, 604-736-8020, www.hipbaby.com and www.raspberrykids.com

We keep a pretty stacked schedule, so it’s not uncommon to find us slurping soup over our keyboard or driving with the steering wheel in one hand and a sandwich in the other.

The speed-eating will end at the Balnea Thermal reserve. The stunning spa is hosting the second annual Summer of Chefs, where you’re expected to dine and recline rather than eat and run. Every Sunday starting on July 3, one of ten renowned Québecois chefs, including Laurent Godbout, Eric Gonzalez and Marc André Jetté, will battle it out for culinary supremacy while you kick back and enjoy the view.

Taking care of your body has never been so delicious. —Jennifer Nachshen

Balnea Spa, 319 Lac Gale Rd., Bromont-sur-le-lac, 450-534-0604, www.balnea.ca

Whenever we find ourselves stuffing down a stale salad at our desk, we wonder whether North Americans have gotten the idea of lunch wrong.

We’re looking to India for guidance with Les Tiffins Traiteur, a service delivering delicious hot and healthy lunches in an eco-friendly Indian-inspired Tiffin. We ordered from the mix ‘n match daily menu by 3 p.m. the day before (minimum five Tiffins per delivery), and received a scrumptious meal of chicken parmesan, minted peas, Israeli couscous, and banana cake by around noon the next day, complete with a cloth napkin and stainless steel silverware to boot! All we had to do was rinse out the stackable containers for pick-up the following day.

Leaving us plenty of time to enjoy an afternoon siesta before the boss got back. —JN

Downtown delivery only. Les Tiffins Traiteur, 514-290-2776, www.lestiffinstraiteur.com

Don’t tell our boss, but we start counting the minutes to lunch about 15 minutes after our morning latte.

We’re even more impatient for mid-day now that the Ferreira Group has started their corporate catering service, LunchMontreal.com, delivering recyclable lunch boxes ($18 each, free delivery on orders of 10 or more) in the downtown core. We loved the light Niçoise salad with new potatoes, tangy capers, and freshly seared red tuna and gobbled down the satisfying duck confit wrap with a side of organic quinoa salad. And each meal comes with your choice of fresh fruit salad, natas, or macarons for dessert.

Noon never seemed so far away.

LunchMontreal.com

There’s nothing like receiving a Birks box to make a girl feel like royalty. Add sweet treats for a combination that will win our hearts.

We stopped in at Birks Café par Europea for an afternoon tea ($26.50) fit for the Queen of England. Dining on Birks own china and glassware, we started with scones, fresh baked and smothered with Devonshire cream and preserves, dainty cucumber-shrimp and smoked salmon finger sandwiches, and finished with a melting macaron.

Then it was just a short trip down the stairs to pick out our tiara.

Birks Café par Europea, 1240 Phillips Sq., Montreal, 514-397-2468, www.birks.com

A new season calls for an adult attitude to lunch.

We’re kicking off the ‘school’ year with a natty lunch kit ($32) from UK designers black+blum. Made from BPA-free plastic, the lime-trimmed bag comes with a watertight container that divides into two bowls (for hot and cold), utensils, a sauce-dipping pot and healthy recipe book. Even better, the waterproof tote opens up to create a placemat or mini blanket that’s perfect for long lunches in the park.

Sure beats the Scooby Doo number we had in grade school.

www.iddko.com

Now that Taverne Square Dominion has introduced lunch service, we’re enjoying something other than day-old sushi on a plastic tray.

With its sweeping bar, provincial crests and original terrazzo floor, this former men’s-only tavern has been restored to its 1920s glory. After perusing the gastro-pub menu (French Canadian meets traditional British), we dove into the Ploughman’s lunch of duck, ham, pig’s head terrine, crusty bread and cheese. 

Before sweetening your afternoon with a pint of beer and Sticky Toffee Pudding, do call the office from the bar top rotary phone and let them know you’ll need another hour.

Taverne Square Dominion, 1243 Metcalfe St., Montreal, 514 564-5056, www.tavernedominion.com

Had we known we could bring snacks, we’d have got into live classical music years ago.

There’s no need for cultural apathy with Les Mélodînes lunch-hour concerts at Place des Arts. Each Thursday until April, the Studio-théâtre opens its doors to brown baggers and top-notch musicians like pianist Daniel Moran and classical guitarist Daniel Bolshoy. And, if you’re looking for something pretty to catch the eye of that handsome oboist, carry your lunch in this.

But please leave the crunchy carrots at home.

Tickets $8, Les Mélodînes, 12:10 – 12:50 pm, February 18 to April 8, Studio-théâtre, Place des Arts, 175 Ste-Catherine Street W., Montreal, 514-842-2112, www.laplacedesarts.com

We don’t encourage regular twelve-o-clock cocktails, but some Friday lunches beg for a bevvie. 

For these we head to Gazette, the Le Westin’s natty new eatery in Old Montreal.  The name pays homage to the newspaper’s printing presses that once stood here, while the sublime cuisine honors this city’s love of market fare. 

The lunch menu includes a marvelous mesclun salad with Benedictine blue cheese ($10), and a to-die-for smoked salmon and egg sandwich ($16). Choose a table overlooking Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, and order the Urban Spice ($9.50) bloody caesar with fresh horseradish, marinated string bean and a hint of LBV port.

Finally, head upstairs to the Reporter lounge for a bespoke martini ($12.50)—your recipe is put on file for future visits—and call in sick for the rest of the day.

Gazette, 270 St. Antoine W., Montreal, 514-380-3333, ext. 5444, www.westin.com/montreal

One of Le Plateau’s best little bistros has moved across town, and we think the new La Montée (formerly La Montée de lait on Villeneuve East) is a much needed addition to the downtown expense-account scene.

The tented back patio is the perfect spot for a decadent weekday lunch and miles away from afternoon office tedium. We positively drooled over the fresh halibut with grated fennel ($21) and got giddy with girlfriends over a glass (or two) of extra-brut sparkling Alsace ($11).

Now if we could only find someone to wine and dine us in the manner to which we’ve grown accustomed….

La Montée, 1424 Bishop St., Montreal, 514-289-9921, www.lamontee.ca