Pret's crayfish salad, Eat's noodles and a Wasabi katsu curry: How to make your favourite high street chain lunches at home - for a FRACTION of the price

How to make Pret's crayfish salad, Eat's noodles and a Wasabi katsu curry at home

Joanne Gould, 30, from north London, attempted to recreate some of the most popular office workers' lunches at home and discovered they can taste just as good but cost a lot less. Pret A Manger's £4.35 avocado and crayfish salad (top left) was trickier to whip up at home (bottom left) as the shellfish are tricky to source and came in at £2.03 per plate; she made her own version of Wasabi's £5.95 chicken katsu curry (bottom, centre), which was a tasty - if time-consuming - version of the chain's own (top centre) but a bargain at just 70p a portion; Eat's £5.79 bowl of Pho broth (top right) is just £2.82 when made at home (bottom right).

Forget salad plates and sushi platters: Why today's foodies are all about the new Instagram-worthy 'power bowl'

Fans say it's like a hug in a jar, and scientists say there is a recipe for the perfect formula. But just what is the latest Instagram food trend for the 'power bowl' and how can you make one?

A tale of two canteen menus: Tuckshop list from 1978 has pies for 35c and devon sandwiches for 26c... versus coconut water, bliss balls and $5 sushi being sold at school canteens today

Australian school canteens have undergone a total overhaul over the past few years. But when do healthy menus go too far? Some menus include mushroom burgers, bliss balls and chia puddings.

Cakes that will make Mary Berry blush! Cheeky student midwives get VERY creative in the kitchen for their end-of-term charity bake off

Midwifery students at the University of Surrey took part in the bake off in aid of charity. They used their knowledge of the reproductive system as inspiration for their rather imaginative cakes.

The 10 surprising carnivorous snacks that contain NO MEAT whatsoever (including 'bacon' crisps and 'beef' noodles)

Consumer site Can I Eat It? has found ten 'meaty' foods that are meat-free. Nutritionists say that the flavourings have no nutritional benefits and manufacturers use them because they are cheaper.

He really is Mclovin' it: Fast food fan embarks on 53 country odyssey to discover the best regional dishes served at the Golden Arches... Including the McTuna Pie, a McCrab Croquette and the mash potato-topped McHokkaido

McDonald's blogger James McGowan reviews more than 300 items around the world

James McGowan (bottom right), 28, a software developer from Amherstburg, Canada, has tried a burger topped with mashed potatoes in Sapporo, Japan (upper left), a crab croquette burger in Okinawa, Japan (bottom left) and a tuna pie in Udon Thani, Thailand (upper right next to a chicken and cheese sandwich). He weighs less now than when he started blogging, eats home-cooked meals and avoids deep-fried foods whenever possible. McGowan, who says he is lucky to be able to work wherever WiFi is available, is now based in Bangkok and travels for pleasure, trying various McDonald's across the globe (map, pictured). In his latest  post, McGowan recounts a disappointing encounter with a 454-calorie burger topped with bacon and mashed potato, which he had in Sapporo, Japan.

'Behold the new God of Chocolate': Twitter goes crazy for the 'Toblorange' after man tops his Toblerone with Terry's Chocolate Orange segments

British author James Hannah took his bar of Toblerone and placed slices of his Christmas Terry's Chocolate Orange in between each chocolate ridge to create the 'Toblorange.'

The Victorian Bake Off: Cupcake queen showcases long-forgotten cooking skills as she steps back 175 years for a new BBC show (all while wearing a 'ridiculous' outfit)

Former solicitor Harpreet Baura, 34, from West London, was surprised by the results achieved by making cakes and bread without any mod cons - although she was less impressed by her outfit.

Meringue-covered strawberries, banana ice-cream and oozy balls of chocolate: Christmas desserts that take FIVE MINUTES for those who don't like mince pies

London-based confectioners The Meringue Girls share five of their simplest festive dessert recipes, which all take under five minutes to rustle up, with FEMAIL.

Why you shouldn't order a salad at McDonald's: Chain's new 'healthy' menus feature quinoa and kale - but contain MORE calories than their burgers and nuggets

Fast food giant McDonald's is dipping its toes into new territory in an attempt to win over more health-conscious customers. But are the new items really any better for you?

Cream Collon biscuits, Puke Crackers and PEE Cola: The world's most disgustingly named foods revealed

Words often mean different things in different languages. From Soup for Sluts and Dick Sticks to Monkey Gland Gravy and Cock Pasta, FEMAIL reveals the strangest named foods in the world.

Diners reveal the most confusing words on restaurant menus - with salmagundi, buccan and beignet topping the list

Confronted with words such as mirepoix, gyro and fricassee, British diners are left feeling slightly baffled when it comes to ordering their meal, new research by OpenTable reveals.

How to make the chocolate ball dessert taking the web by storm: As hypnotic videos for melting domes go viral, we recreate the treat - with spectacular (and messy) results 

How to make the melting chocolate dome dessert gripping the web

Showstopping melting dome puddings that see chocolate orbs melt under a stream of sauce are storming the internet so Emily Hodgkin, 24, from London, put the method to the test. With just a few bags of chocolate chips and some balloons, the FEMAIL writer created the delicate ball (top centre), over which she poured her creamy sauce (top right), and watched it melt away (bottom centre) to reveal a brownie and ice cream sundae hidden within (bottom right).

Fast food-loving designer unveils quirky range of accessories inspired by cakes, chips and burgers including a chocolate chip cookie clutch and burrito bow tie 

Designer and blogger Rommy Debommy, 25, from Rotterdam, has created a range of whimsical handmade accessories which look uncannily like sweets, cakes and fast food.

Top chefs predict the biggest food trends appearing in London restaurants in 2016 including Bakewell tarts, Korean cuisine and RAW cakes

Next year has a heap of surprises in store when it comes to what we eat. FEMAIL picks the brains of of some of London's top chefs who predict what will appear on plates, and menus in 2016.

The top 10 healthiest foods on the planet revealed (and, yes, CHOCOLATE is on there)

Inexpensive and easy-to-source, these fruit, nuts, fish and vegetables are often overlooked in favour of more exotic 'superfoods'. But they all contain extraordinarily high levels of vitamins.

The top 10 vitamin-packed foods that promise you can EAT your way to younger-looking skin

Your skin's general health is greatly influenced by what you feed it. To maintain youthful looking skin, make sure you drink plenty of water and consume vitamin-rich foods.

What does your favourite cocktail say about YOU? The quiz that reveals the perfect drink for your personality (and tells others what you're really like)

Do you struggle to choose from lengthy cocktail menus, torn between a Cosmo, a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned? Here are 20 questions that will help select the right drink to suit your character.

The food making you tired: Why everyday favourites including yoghurt, orange juice and SANDWICHES are depleting your energy

Instead of picking up convenient pre-packed lunches, you should drink plenty of water, ditch some of the sugar and keep healthy snacks on hand to beat the afternoon slump.

Works of art... or too much time on their hands? The parents painstakingly packing bento box school lunches for their children

The parents painstakingly packing bento box school lunches for their children

Once upon a time, a school lunch consisted of basic foods designed to fill your child up till tea time, while giving them a dollop of fruit and veg at the same time - a ham sandwich, a bruised apple and a packet of salt and vinegar chips, maybe. No more. Thanks to a new bento box lunch trend, kids on Instagram (and mothers with too much time on their hands) are being sent to school with edible artworks to show off to their friends in the playground, creating wild competition over who has the most attractive food.

The Bake Off effect strikes again: Sales of specialist kitchen gadgets have DOUBLED in the past five years thanks to cooking shows (but would you pay £200 for kettle?)

Sales of small kitchen appliances are up 41 per cent in the past five years to £897m in 2015, according to Mintel and shows like GBBO and The Hairy Bikers are thought to be behind the spike.

Junk food really IS addictive: High-calorie treats 'flood the brain's reward system with feel-good chemicals - leaving you wanting more'

Scientists at Calgary University in Canada found that while a surge in dopamine encourages binge eating, injecting insulin into the pleasure centre of the brain suppresses appetite.

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Mom skewers health-obsessed parents in witty rant about how the fries she serves her kids are really 'rutabaga spears from the garden, fried in oil from my peanut grove'

Bunmi Laditan, the woman behind The Honest Toddler blog, offers funny posts about parenting on her Facebook page, including satirical updates on what she is serving her kids for dinner.

Waiter, there's a garden weed in my crab salad! My pleasure sir: What WILL they dig up next? Chefs' new delicacy is... chickweed 

Chickweed has suddenly found favour by becoming the latest food fad. Leading chefs are lauding its intense flavour and are using the leaf to enhance dishes such as crab salads in top restaurants.

Taco-bout an appetite! Size six model and competitive eater devours SIX enormous burritos in just 12 minutes

Model and competitive eater Nela Zisser, from Auckland, posted a video showing herself chowing down on six burritos.

But what IS a spiralizer? Half of Britons have never heard of healthy eating gadget loved by Hemsley sisters... and a tenth don't even know what a spatula does!

A study by Kenwood has revealed the gaps in the nation's culinary knowledge with 55% of Britons admitting they don't know what a spiralizer, made popular by chefs Hemsley + Hemsley, is.

The shocking amount of sugar in your favourite hot drinks: Investigation reveals some contain up to 25 teaspoons per cup

A large - or venti - serving of a Hot Mulled fruit drink from Starbucks, which comes with chai, orange and cinnamon, contains 25 teaspoons of sugar - more than three times the recommended limit.

Bare-chested Tom Daley showers in coffee and crushes lemons with his biceps in bizarre healthy eating videos (but viewers are more interested in his torso)

Olympic diver Tom Daley, 21, has posted a series of videos about healthy living on YouTube that see him frolicking in various states of undress with his favourite healthy foods.

Sparkling wines from Hampshire and Sussex beat Pol Roger, Veuve Clicquot and Taittinger Champagnes in blind taste test

Hambledon Classic Cuvée from Hampshire and Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 2010 from Sussex were pitted against ten Champagnes in a competition organised by Noble Rot Magazine.

That's not what I ordered! Staggering gulf between what fast-food restaurants tempt you with - and what you're served

Go to any fast-food restaurant and you'll see super-sized pictures of the food on offer looking mouth-wateringly ravishing. VINCENT GRAFF compares promo photos with the reality ...

The 10 foods you CAN eat safely after their best-before dates - and how long they last

With Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss admitting she regularly eats food that is past its 'best before' date, FEMAIL reveals the ten foods which can safely be consumed by all.

The sneaky food swaps that will help you cut 500 calories a DAY - including replacing ice-cream for frozen bananas and popcorn for nuts

One of the most effective methods of maintaining sustained weight loss is by replacing similar food for lower calorie versions. An infographic by Get Slimmer Guide suggests healthy swaps to make.

Indian restaurant set to become the first in the world to deliver takeaways by DRONE - sending poppadums, kormas and naans to hungry diners through the air

The Don, in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, will be the first restaurant in the world to fly its food to customers. Dinner will be served from a Phantom 3 drone, piloted by the owner Aki Rahman.

Vegan Deliciously Ella is adding to her blogging empire by opening a deli - but her fans are up in arms after she admits meat WILL be on the menu

Health guru Ella Woodward, known by her blogging pseudonym, Deliciously Ella, has upset her loyal vegan fans - by opening a deli that serves meat.

Candy Cane Frappucino, anyone? The SECRET Starbucks Christmas menu you never knew existed

Tired of the usual drinks on offer? Go off-menu and ask your Starbucks barista to make a coffee from the secret selection with up to 80,000 different combinations across its UK and US branches.

'Why is she barbecuing in February?' Mary Berry leaves viewers baffled after she cooks summer recipes outdoors - while Storm Imogen batters Britain

Mary Berry made summer recipes for the barbecue on BBC2's Mary Berry's Foolproof Cooking. But the chef, 80, came under fire for last night's show as Storm Imogen rages across Britain.

What's in YOUR lunch? The 'grab and go' takeaway food that you think is healthy but is really adding inches to your waistline

Frida Harju, nutritionist at health and fitness app, Lifesum reveals the foods which may seem healthy options at first glance but are, in fact, packed full of additives and calories.

Australia's unhealthiest fast food? How a bowl of nachos contains 5005 kilojoules- that's 4325 MORE kilojoules than a cheeseburger

Researchers have looked at kilojoule content of 229 meals at 25 Australian fast food chains and found many 'healthier' options contained more kilojoules than a McDonald's Cheeseburger.

Would you cook eggs in a freezer bag? Food hack promises to deliver the perfect omelette every time

A YouTube video by Allrecipes suggests that the best way to prepare this breakfast meal is to place all your ingredients in a freezer or sandwich bag, and cook it in a pot of boiling water.

Why you should be eating beetroot, yoghurt and MARMITE at your desk: Experts reveal foods that will improve performance (and the snacks to always avoid)

FEMAIL has worked nutritionists and dieticians to identify the 22 foods that will power the brain for a busy day at work, and the ones you should avoid as eating them will make you feel tired and sluggish.

New recipe book based on discarded shopping lists features delicacies like kitchen roll pie and rat poison ragu

Thomas Lakeman, 31, from Brixton, South London's, inedible cookbook A La Cart features some of the world's quirkiest recipes including delicacies such as cotton bud noodles.

How Lakeland became fashionable: Family-run firm behind the spiralizer reveals the quirky gadgets that will be in YOUR kitchen next year

As Lakeland becomes beloved by clean-eating Instagram stars, its buying director tells FEMAIL which of its new gizmos are guaranteed to be on our Christmas lists - and social media - this year.