Getting children out of the door and to school in the morning is hard enough for most parents, let alone managing the arm them with a healthy packed lunch.

But now a Norwich mother who knows first hand how hard it can be, has come up with a solution which could prove to be a hit with many busy mums and dads.

Sarah Gaches has founded The Happy Lunch Club, which provides healthy packed lunches delivered to school. The 34-year-old former air hostess has devised a menu of healthy snacks and treats which the youngsters can even pick from themselves.

'Evenings and mornings are without doubt the worst time of day', she said. 'It is always a mad rush to get dinner sorted, fit in extra curricular activities and the children into bed in the evening. Once you've got your kids off to bed, the last thing you feel like doing is making the packed lunch. In the morning it's the same.

'It does save parents the stress. Thinking about putting new food into the lunch box does require some thought. Going to the supermarket with a child in tow, it's not easy to think about what you are going to put in their lunch box next Friday.'

She said that she was also making sure that she was being savvy when she shopped in order to keep down the price.

Mrs Gaches, who lives in The Gate House on St Martins Palace Plain with her three boys and husband, who works in the Bishop of Norwich's garden, started working in the catering business when she was 14.

'I worked in some nice hotels and got a taste for good food. I do love cooking – my mum passed that on to me', she said.

She said she was keen to vary the menu so that children got tastes for different foods to stop them becoming fussy. She is also hoping to include seasonal foods in the menu too. 'I want to encourage children to get involved in the process as well so they know what they are having in their lunch bag. They can choose what they want from the menu.'

Mrs Gaches started the business with help of the Norwich and Waveney Enterprise Service and Business Buddies. She put together a business plan and started delivering her first packed lunches at the beginning of term.

'There is a high proportion of parents whose children get packed lunches. Some parents see the packed lunch as a way of seeing what their children are eating. If you make a packed lunch then you can put something in that you know your child will eat.'

She already has 15 customers at Cringleford CE VA Primary School.

Seven-year-old Emily Kahir has joined The Happy Lunch Club. She said: 'They are really yummy and I especially like the bread'.

For more information go to www.thehappylunchclub.com.

Have you had a bright business idea? Contact reporter Annabelle Dickson on 01603 772426 or email annabelle.dickson@archant.co.uk