Can cook, will cook

As we were strolling into the office one afternoon, after an eight-course meal at the chef’s table at Gordon Ramsay’s, TS reflected on the numerous jollies we have attended.

Although corporate golf and the white-collar boxing fad had their unique charm, the good old boozy lunch, with lobster and champers, is hard to beat.

Knowing that the way to TS’s heart is through our stomach (PRs take note), Anna Venturi has come up with a variation on the plain sit-down dinner ­ corporate cooking. This involves actually preparing the meal yourself instead of waiting for it to be served up. TS is sceptical, but it appears that KPMG, Deloitte and Tesco Finance have taken to the idea like an MD to a Cuban cigar.

‘My cookery classes are a big hit with companies, who use them as a team building and staff rewarding exercise,’ says Venturi.