Executive Chef at Anantara the Marker Hotel, Gareth Mullins, reminds parents that children need more calories in their school lunchboxes than you think.

It's back to school season and while many parents are trying to get their hands on uniforms and books, they're also thinking ahead and planning what to put into their children's lunchboxes.

Executive chef at Anantara the Marker Hotel, Gareth Mullins, made some sweet suggestions for the back-to-school plans on The Pat Kenny Show, and highlighted how kids are more active than some parents may realise, meaning they need more calories to get through the day.

He explained: "It's a funny time as a parent when kids are going back to school because you're worried about [how] they've just had the whole summer where you could keep an eye on what they were eating.

"I just think then the school lunch box comes around and there's a bit of pressure on what to put in there.

"People are really trying to make sure everything is really healthy, which I think is a good idea, but I also think we need to remember that our kids are so active.

"Don't be afraid to get things in there that have good calories in them and it's going to fuel them for the day.

"They need more calories than you may think because they're walking to school, they're running around the yard. A lot of them are playing sports after school.

"If your child is going to sports straight after school, a slice of banana bread and a flapjack will be just what they need before they start training."

Mullins shared a number of recipes for parents to try out, including his "All Blacks" Multiseed Flapjacks, which he made for the New Zealand rugby team when they were in Dublin.

While sports teams usually have a chef with them, requests are often made for certain items such as banana breads or flapjacks. Even if they have a recipe of their own, they ask the in-house chefs to make one of their own, and his flapjacks were "a big hit" with the New Zealand team.

Gareth also gave recipes for a banana bread and for carrot and walnut cakes which can be made as little individual ones, or in a big slab.

Main image: lunchbox on table Picture by: Alamy Stock Photo