Throughout my life I've found it easy to be disgusting. Sleeping in clothes, smoking too much, waking up reeking of gin - at least the grossness was a result of a good time, unlike the bad taste left after a meal from my office canteen.

I had fallen into the routine of going there because it was convenient, cheap and allowed me to lunch with colleagues. But the food was often tasteless, overcooked and thrown together using seemingly random ingredients (curried olives anyone?). Of my numerous bad habits, this was one I had to break, pronto.

Having a good local farmers' market at the weekend made ditching the canteen much simpler. Being able to get fresh vegetables, delicious cheese and a variety of great bread made the thought of bringing in a packed lunch appealing. I liked the idea of knowing exactly what I was eating and where the food came from. The bonus was that it would save me money, too.

The first week went really well. I happily assembled a cheese and mango chutney sandwich one morning, threw together a spinach salad the next, and the day after that I ladled out some barley soup made the night before. These healthier lunches didn't leave me craving snacks at teatime either.

Unfortunately, my other bad habits started to get in the way of my efforts. Getting in and up late made it difficult to prepare lunch in advance, or in the morning. However, being married to a very enthusiastic home chef meant that I could often grab some leftovers or get a tasty surprise made up for me.

Sadly, my local farmers' market has since closed and I still rely on my live-in cook for many of my packed lunches, but I steer clear of the canteen and consider more carefully what I eat for lunch - a habit that I intend to keep.