AS A BOY, I CAN RECALL MY DAD CYCLING BACK FROM WORK EACH DAY TO A COOKED LUNCH IN HIS HOUR OFF. IN THOSE DAYS THIS WAS FAIRLY COMMONPLACE, BUT FOR VARIOUS REASONS, BOTH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC, THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE. NOWADAYS, WEEKDAY LUNCH IS BOUGHT AND EATEN ON THE HOOF OR MISSED OUT ALTOGETHER.

What we are doing is slowly removing this meal from our daily routine and it’s not without precedent. In years past, a cooked breakfast, afternoon tea and traditional supper were all part of the daily routine of this nation. Sadly, all three have slipped from view. Do we wish lunch to go the same way? Soon we will have nothing more than the evening meal left to look forward to.

Our friends in mainland Europe have taken a different tack. They positively love a decent lunch and think nothing of a two-hour lunch break which includes a cooked meal followed by a snooze. Surely this is preferable to a sandwich bought at the petrol station and eaten in the lift on the way to a meeting?

I have nothing against sandwiches – I love them. But if you plan on sandwiches for lunch, then at least consider making your own. A sandwich is one of the quickest things to prepare and with just a little invention (home-made coleslaw to go with some peppered salami, perhaps) they can provide a pleasing lunch.

It’s on weekends that lunch comes into its own. Sunday lunch needs no explanation. A nation whose people spurn lunch all week suddenly turns into a group of frenzied lunch-eating maniacs. Roast beef, pork and lamb are consumed with passion in homes and restaurants up and down the country.

So that leaves Saturdays as the day for cooked lunches, then. Well, I for one am prepared to do my bit to preserve the classic lunch and on the following pages Allegra and I have given some cheap, simple and quick lunch options that you can enjoy any day of the week.