It’s that time of year when offices across the country are filled with back from holiday treats. Creamy fudge from a colleague who has returned from a holiday in Cornwall, maybe some buttery shortbread from a Scottish break, a few tubes of Toblerone hastily grabbed on a flight home or some cheap Spanish sweets. It’s all part of office life (and a good one at that). Let’s face it, these treats can often bring a glimmer of cheer to an otherwise dull working day. 

If you have an enthusiastic baker in your team, I say clap your hands with excitement and prepare for your taste buds to be delighted. Freshly baked goods, often brought in for no particular reason other than to create a bit of office joy are a godsend in my eyes. (I feel at this point I should express my appreciation to colleagues who have provided a whole range of fabulous treats for me over the years. I applaud your skills.)

But some evil people out there (such as this journalist for the Daily Mail) are labelling these generous individuals as ‘office feeders‘. Yes, apparently you should beware of the double-crossing, two-faced person sharing their delicious, melt in the mouth home-made cookies with you. No, they’re not laced with poison but with a far more shocking intent. Apparently, it’s an unstoppable desire to make us fat that drives them to the mixing bowl time after time. Forget friendly gestures, they’re just trying to make us fail with our diets; it’s their rather heavy handed way of making sure we are fatter than them. Pffff. Some people are so ungrateful. And too willing to blame their own lack of will power on someone else.

My view, let there be cake and lots of it. Work is stressful. On a bad day where everything is going wrong, where you’ve had your head down working and no time to even chat to the person next to you, the temptation of a cake can get you off your seat and catching up with a colleague quickly as you share a bite to eat. It can bring a smile to your face and camaraderie to the team. If you’re on a diet, just have a small piece or don’t bother. But if you do indulge, it seems unfair to blame the person providing the goodies for your lack of will power.

Anyway, rant over. Office bakers and treat buyers out there, please don’t be discouraged by this horrible article. In my eyes you will always be the office lifesavers!