The Richard Spooner Column: Dunkin ' do nots�

What joy! We 're back in the office - well for two or three days a week.

It is, of course, the camaraderie we have missed most along with swopping banter with colleagues.

So it was good to be among with our colleagues from the policy team who we have rarely seen collectively in the past two years.

Now these clever people are the think tank of the Chamber. They all have their specialisms under top man Raj Kandola, including transport, sustainability, HS2, the economy, international trade, Brexit, Covid and infrastructure.

So which heady subject were they addressing when we gathered for the first time in two years?

None of the above. The burning topic was which are the best biscuits to dunk in your tea or coffee.

There was much debate among the serious work. Chocolate fingers were regarded as being messy, custard creams were rejected on the same grounds and Jammy Dodgers didn 't get on to the shortlist because they are delicious enough sans dunking.

Timing, it was agreed, was critical to avoid a piece of the biscuit dropping into the beverage. Rich teas were regarded as the most vulnerable to an accident.

However, I can reveal that the result of the Chamber Biscuit-Dunking Survey as thus:

• Dark chocolate digestives
• Ginger nuts
• Rich cream - tea only

All of this reminded me of an early morning when I was summoned to the studios of BBC West Midlands breakfast show at the Mailbox.

I would normally find someone for broadcast who really knew what they were talking about but none of the clever sorts was available.

So, I needed to do a good deal of research to make sure I knew what I was talking about and made a note of three points I needed to get across (much easier on the radio, than telly).

I seem to remember the talk was around the results of the latest Chamber Quarterly Business Report, the main thrust of which was that businesses in Greater Birmingham were making a marginal recovery from the latest recession.

I seem to remember the presenter was Phil Upton and he was engaged in a long phone-in about - yes, you 've guessed it - the best biscuits to dunk.

I waited patiently as he concluded an interview with the latest dunker to call him with my head full of figures about the Greater Birmingham economy and how brave business were battling their way back into profitability.

His opening question was fired across the studio:

“Our next guest is John Lamb, from the Chamber of Commerce. John, what is your favourite biscuit for dunking? ”

My mind went blank and I tried to make fun out of by saying his question was taking the biscuit when I was there to talk about something a little more highbrow.

It was a bit like being back in the office�

JL