Nowadays, I tell those who presume this situation still prevails, the meal is more likely to be a business-like sandwich "al desco" or a quick run to the canteen.

Work takes precedence for many UK adults, with a quarter skipping meals or preferring lunch 'al desco' to crack on with important work rather than waste time eating.

According to a survey in January, 1 per cent of British workers take a full one-hour lunch break, and my keyboard does indeed have what Matthew Sweet refers to as "a sheen of mayonnaise and bacon fat", the result of years of lunching "al desco", to use the current vernacular.

sandwich platter from £17 eataldesco.co.uk What: Al desco sandwich platter

Taste assessment: Al desco delivers lunch platters straight to the office in an eco-friendly box.

Al desco sandwich platter - click here