With Ashurst phasing in profile-raising spoon-shaped tea stirrers and the staff canteen at SJ Berwin lobbying hard for its first Michelin star, it seems City firms are really pushing the boat out in pursuit of that perfect working environment.

Having already forked out some £4m refurbishing his swanky City office, Rosenblatt Solicitors senior partner Ian Rosenblatt has now been forced to call in an acoustics expert to ensure a noisy air conditioning system does not stand between him and his passion for opera.