Let's face it, it's a tricky bit of time to manage. Lunch breaks are precious yet, according to research conducted by Lycos UK, a quarter of office workers never take a proper lunch break, missing out on time to which they are entitled. Why is this?
Could it be because deep down, many of us would rather push on through in order to leave an hour earlier? One hour can fly if you've got a mountain of personal admin to get through - picking up your dry cleaning or your holiday photos; looking for a birthday card; popping into Boots and then getting seduced by a 3-for-2 offer and clunking your way back with a six-month supply of shampoo and conditioner.
Worse still is more serious retail therapy: you can easily spend an hour in the changing rooms of Oasis, only to find yourself becoming bewildered, hot, stressed and often making hasty decisions that involve returning everything the following day. Many office lunchtime shoppers remain in denial after a splurge, hiding carrier bags from colleagues to avoid the "show us what you've bought" routine.
No wonder then, that many organisations have started to offer a more structured approach to the lunch break. Keeping workers in the building is a way of making sure people stay on the straight and narrow.
At First Direct, a mind-boggling array of activities is on offer. There are courses in French, Spanish, yoga and creative writing - one person started a novel after being inspired by her lunch time class- and there are also opportunities to book a massage or a relaxing session of reflexology.
As the First Direct offices are 10 minutes outside Leeds, travelling sales people swing by to sell books, flowers and perfume at wholesale prices. Cadbury's also pays a visit from time to time - selling chocolate in bulk. If you just want to chill, a Blue Peter-inspired garden offers tranquillity away from the constantly ringing telephones.
And while a session down the pub is always an option, particularly on demob happy Fridays, many offices go in for a healthier lunch break. At the University of East Anglia (UEA), the Bernard Matthews swimming pool lets employees thrash out, Olympic- style, and then sparkle their way through the afternoon, avoiding the 4 o'clock torpor that so often strikes.
"I've never felt healthier," says Fritha Crosby, receptionist at the UEA estates and buildings division. "I swim every day: it's the fittest place I've ever worked at. In other offices we went to the pub and then struggled through the afternoon."
Down in Richmond, Surrey, staff from design consultancy PSD can often be found messing about on the river. Sarah Ridley talks fondly of lunchtime trips, when a group of them buy ciabattas from the neighbouring Italian deli, catch the 1 o'clock ferry, and pootle down to the weir near Teddington. "We sit in the sun and talk about life. The boat ride costs £2.50 and we're back within the hour. It can set you up for the afternoon," she says.
