My first job, as a sixteen year old sixth form student, was working in a bakery.

Initially, I made pizzas. I had to ladle on tomato sauce, sprinkle on some cheese, then place an olive and an anchovy on each one.

It was messy, boring, smelly repetitive work, and by the end of each day my white overalls were splattered with so much tomato sauce that it looked like I had murdered someone.

Thankfully, my duties progressed from topping pizzas to rolling croissants, inserting the chocolate sticks into pain au chocolat, and eventually, I became supervisor in the packing department, being responsible for individually wrapping croissants and cakes that were ordered by Heathrow and Gatwick airports, P&O Ferries, and Buckingham Palace.

Yes, it is quite possible that the Queen has eaten a croissant that I helped to make.

Working in a bakery, as you can imagine, was quite lovely in…