We must do lunch

According to a survey of 2,000 people to mark British Sandwich Week, the average UK employee works through almost two lunch hours a week.

More than a tenth of British workers never take any time for a midday snack at all, while 35 per cent of employers would prefer their staff to eat lunch at their desks to save time.

Meanwhile, a quarter make their employees feel guilty for taking a lengthy lunch hour, although 38 per cent of UK workers stay chained to their desks at lunchtime because they feel obligated to their colleagues.

Tony Randall from Flavour sandwich bar and caf in Bournemouth's Albert Road believes businesses like his thrive off the UK's growing "al desko" dining culture.

"A lot of people only get half-an-hour so they either telephone their order or rush in for a sandwich and then probably take it back to their desks.

"In fact, telephone pre-ordering has become so popular, we're thinking of getting a computer so people can email their orders, because a lot of people do work at computers so it would make it a lot easier for them."

Frenchman Pierre Chevillard, head chef at Pebble Beach restaurant at Barton-on-Sea, says it's a totally different culture in his home country, where the idea of dining "al desko" remains virtually unheard of.

"I was in France last week and in France office workers will still go out for lunch.

"There are so many small restaurants which are designed to take people in and have a quick lunch in the space of 45 minutes. In fact, most shops and organisations close between 12-2pm, but obviously they finish later at night.

"In England people tend to eat a sandwich at lunchtime rather than prepare a hot meal.

"Even so, a sandwich and a packet of crisps if you are somewhere outside is much better than at your desk it's better for your health and for morale to have a break."

Lizzie Vann, managing director of Christchurch-based baby food company Organix, encourages her staff to take a break.

"People should take lunch hours because to give your best at work you have to have regular breaks and get up and move around.

"I encourage people to have a lunch break and get outside because we all live in such a lovely part of the country."

She adds: "Years ago I worked for an American bank in London and they wanted your body, mind and soul. You either didn't get a lunch break or had such a ridiculous lunch break because you were entertaining clients that you put on loads of weight and felt very unhealthy it wasn't the right way to live."

Bournemouth University psychologist Richard Smales says: "Taking a lunch break is about recharging your batteries and allowing the creative process of the mind to catch up, and if you don't take breaks you're not as efficient.

"Companies that don't give their staff breaks obviously don't give a flying leap about the quality of service they offer.

"It's about valuing the operatives you have and if you value them you give them breaks."

He argues that if you're in a highly paid job working long hours, but it's only for a short period of time until you've made your millions, then skipping breaks is probably worth it.

"If that's the case you actually feel it's a job well done.

"However, if it's a job where you sit at your desk and answer a phone for £20,000 a year, it's not enough to make that life-changing difference.

"What you're doing is running down your body and getting burnt-out for a small sum of money and you're just seeming to be doing a job when in fact you are not."

Peter Scott, chief executive at Dorset Business, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, adds: "The findings of the survey support what is seen by many of our continental friends as being a messy and unnecessarily workaholic' approach to conducting business. Leaving your desk to go for a quick lunch is not a sin; dying at your desk probably is.

"Whereas I don't advocate a reversion to the '80s "power lunches" so beloved of the red-braces brigade, if you work through your "lunch-half-hour" every day for say 48 weeks of the year, you are also cheating yourself out of the equivalent of five full days of your leisure time."

Nutritionist Barbara Cox, from Nutrichef in Poole, says eating a sandwich at your desk or even worse, skipping lunch altogether is not good for your health.

"A lot of people will suffer from indigestion if they eat too quickly, and a sandwich isn't going to be a sufficient lunch. Most people who come to see me either skip lunch or have a sandwich and crisps, but that's not going to sustain you until the time you get home, so it's no wonder people feel lethargic at around 2-3pm.

"When you skip a meal it can lead to a low blood sugar level which makes you want to grab for a chocolate bar or crisps, or to drink more coffee which isn't good for the adrenal system.

"Skipping lunch also means you have insufficient vitamin, mineral and calorie content for the day, and all this can lead to lack of concentration, irritability and weight gain."

If you do need to stay at your desk through lunch, Barbara advises trying out different, healthier foods that will keep your energy levels high.

"Everyone could have a big bowl of fruit on their desk to choose from, you could take a nice, big salad into work for lunch, and snack on nuts and seeds which are great for energy.

"If people were more organised they could prepare their lunch in the morning, and it would be there and ready to eat.

"That way, if they've only got 15-20 minutes for lunch, they could spend the time just sitting and eating properly, rather than spending it going and standing in a queue for a sandwich."