Holiday Gift Guide 2024: The Coolest Gifts For Desk Lunch Loyalists

For the lunchtime work enthusiast who insists on eating their midday meal next to their keyboard, a few thematic gifts may make desk lunch a bit more enjoyable. Whether they’re working from home or at the office, make the experience of desk lunch a little less antisocial (we leave in peak isolating teams!) by offering a thoughtful way to enhance their weekday fare, be it through shiny utensils and servingware, recipe inspiration, little treats, and more. Here’s how to make a desk luncher happy this season (other than, you know, getting them away from their desk when they’re on the clock):

Gold Metal TV Dinner Serving Tray

The original desk lunch may just be a TV dinner. This luxe version by Peter Callahan helps separate your veggies from your protein, starch, and little treat, and is just a pleasure to use. It’s not microwave or oven safe, but a fun way to enjoy meal prep throughout the week in a fun and fancy way. $78, bergdorfgoodman.com

California White Sturgeon Caviar

Buzzy tin fish brand Fishwife released its first ever just in time for the holidays, in collaboration with Northern California’s ECO-CERT certified caviar farm and company, Tsar Nicoulai. The California White Sturgeon is buttery and creamy and adds an instant upgrade when topping any desk lunch, be it a basic bagel with cream cheese, chicken tenders, or just a bag of chips from the vending machine. Each order of caviar comes with a fish-engraved mother of pearl spoon. $99, fishwife.com

Chocolate Sardines

Tinned fish at the office is typically a faux pas, but sardine lovers can still indulge in the joy of tiny aquatic creatures during the workday with these adorable chocolate sardines. Crack open a can of these French-made gourmet milk chocolate sardines (no fish is used in the chocolatier’s process) wrapped in shiny foil to mimic the appearance of a fish. $20, cluizel.us

An Opulent Spork

The best lunch utensil there is, this spoon-fork hybrid makes a midday meal a true pleasure to eat. This designer stainless steel spork is dishwasher safe and has a mirrored finish to bring some uplifting shiny vibes to lunchtime. Gift a set for each day of the week. $10, williams-sonoma.com

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Custom Lunch Napkins

Specialty. napkins aren’t just for formal luncheons. Add some pizzazz to lunchtime with customized napkins offering fun facts, a catchphrase, emblazoned initials or anything else that can brighten a desktop lunch break. Starts at $28 for 50, vistaprint.com

What Goes with What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities

Gift a cookbook full of seemingly endless lunch inspiration, plus dinner ideas that will surely result in leftovers for next day desk success. Julia Turshen’s latest recipe collection is split into six sections — salads and sandwiches; soups, stews and braises; rice, more grains, and pasta; vegetables; mains; and baked goods — each lush with creative but executable meals, organized into charts breaking down ingredients that can be mixed and matched to make even more dishes. $25, amazon.com

Noise Cancelling Headphones

Let your favorite luncher block out the noise of the outside world with Sonos’ first ever set of bluetooth headphones. The wireless, over-ear Sonos Ace headphones are available in black or white and offer spatial audio, rapid charging, active noise cancellation, and a 30 hour battery life. $449, sonos.com

Crunchy Garlic Chili Crisp

Add a kick to every savory lunch item, be it takeout from the corporate cafeteria, delightful leftovers, a salad, soup or, well, anything! Hotpot Queen’s signature condiment is made from three chilis plus Sichuan peppercorn, as well as mushrooms and fermented black bean for a savory note. Other flavors from the small brand include Mala Wild Mushroom and Extra Spicy Prickly Pepper, if you want to gift a trio. $14.99, hotpotqueen.com

Dual-Device Charging Stand

Let your luncher scroll, zoom, create content and recharge all at once with this slim and stylish dual charger. The mag safe charging platform and stand charges two devices at once, and can be plugged into any outlet or a laptop. Courant’s device is perfect for a mid-day movie break, filming a mukbang with a front-facing camera, or even taking a lunch meeting via phone. $150, staycourant.com