I phoned my friend Toby the other day. "I can't talk now, I'm on an assignment," he growled into the phone. "It could blow my cover."

For Toby, working as a mystery shopper is a very serious business, and not just a way to make money in between acting jobs.

Luckily, he also finds it quite good fun and a chance to play James Bond.

He has occasionally had to pretend to be partially sighted to test whether supermarkets have their pricing in an accessible form and what kind of service he gets from the staff, which he found really interesting.

Mystery shopping is a great way to earn a living for people with unpredictable patterns of employment.

A TV advert for Cadbury's Flake has been banned because it is just too sexy for our screens.

Executives from the chocolate company apparently thought it was so racy it would either corrupt our nation's morals, or portray Flake eaters as some kind of free-love hedonists with lives of wild abandon.

The commercial featured a gorgeous, pouting young model seduced by a Devil-like character, with the suggestion that a Flake was as tempting as Lucifer himself.

The company blew no less than £1 million on the ad. It had been planned for a prime-time slot but will never now be seen. According to the company, research showed it polarised opinion in focus groups.

It happened at the same time that the American company Kraft bought Cadbury.

A spokesman for Cadbury said: "Having researched it, we felt it wasn't working for our core target audience. You try things, but don't always pull it off and that's what happened here."

If you're properly British, then tipping will be a major cause of angst. Who do you tip? How much do you tip them? Should you tip when the service has been poor? Will the staff even get the tip?

Apparently 90% of us will leave a tip every time we eat in a restaurant or cafe, but four in five of us will immediately scuttle off, afraid to ask questions about what will happen to that money.

Today sees the launch of a campaign known as 'Who Gets The Tip,' which is designed to offer a bit of relief in the great tipping dilemma.

But is it really going to help?

A dozen farmers in Yorkshire are celebrating after their rhubarb - which is grown in sheds by candlelight - was given European protected name status.

Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb is joining the ranks of European elite foods like champagne, Parma Ham and Roquefort cheese that have their names legally protected. It comes from an area between Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford - known as the Rhubarb Triangle.

Fans of Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb have long argued that thanks to its unique growing method which produces a sweet flavour it is far superior to the tough, stringy rhubarb grown elsewhere. After years of petitioning, the European Commission has finally caved in and recognised its status.

Ocado, the people who deliver your shopping from Waitrose – the Duchess of Cornwall's favourite supermarket – are pressing ahead with a stock exchange listing, despite other big businesses recently deciding now is not the time to be looking for an injection of investment cash.

New Look, the high street fashion chain, and Merlin Entertainments, who own Madame Tussaud's and Legoland, recently dropped their plans for a listing citing the volatility of the market.

It's not just a small investment Ocado is looking for, the online grocer is wanting £1billion and that could be a big ask when you bear in mind that the company hasn't turned a real profit in any of the eight years it's been in business.

Retail sales fell at the fastest rate in 18 months in January, partly because heavy snow and ice kept shoppers away. They cut back on most things from food to furniture.

Sales volumes dropped by 1.8% between December and January, the sharpest fall since June 2008. The Office for National Statistics said the Big Freeze hit sales of household goods and petrol in particular. The fall was much worse than the City had pencilled in.

The figures end a week of bad economic news when inflation surged, unemployment rose and the public deficit hit a fresh record. The sharp drop in highstreet spending raises fresh doubts about the economy's recovery from recession.

I've surprised myself by seriously considering giving up booze for Lent because I want to test my own willpower. (I've never given up anything for Lent so this will be a challenge.)

Another reason is the fact that pubs and bars feature quite prominently in my bank statements. I also want to see whether I can lose weight that way.

Smoking is another habit that is clearly bad for your wallet and becoming more unappealing socially (not one of my vices).

How much can you save by giving up drinking and smoking for the 40 days of Lent?

Inflation shot up to 3.5% in January, a 14-month high, after last year's emergency VAT cut was reversed and because of higher petrol prices.

Inflation is now well above the Bank of England's 2% target, which means that governor Mervyn King has had to write an explanatory letter to Alistair Darling today.

King indicated that the Bank is relaxed about the rise in inflation - because it regards it as a short-term blip and expects the weak economy will bring it down sharply again later in the year. However, some members of the monetary policy committee seem more worried about rising prices.

If you are looking for something a bit different for Valentine's Day this year, here are some suggestions. They range from making your own cocktails to burlesque and cabaret nights and exploring the Seven Deadly Sins.

Alternatively, you could recreate a romantic movie moment, go punting in Cambridge or take to the air with a balloon ride.

Uh-oh. You've just realised that yes, Sunday is Valentine's Day and you'd completely forgotten. We've all done it, and suddenly there's that last-minute panic as you attempt to find a half decent, not-too-tacky gift or a restaurant that still has tables.

Never fear, I've got a few ideas you can use if you're struggling, and best of all you can book or buy them without leaving your desk! Head over the jump for some romantic suggestions that'll make sure your loved-one has no idea you almost forgot.