Women spend two and a half hours a day talking or thinking about food, according to a recent survey commissioned by Nature Valley. Men spend slightly less time doing so, dedicating around two hours a day to food thoughts.

As a woman working in the food and drink industry, its fair to say that I spend far more time thinking about it than the average woman. Apparently (so says the survey) women spend 59 minutes a day talking about food and drink with their friends or colleagues – make that at least eight hours a day for me!

This week, having received details of several new convenience food innovations, conversation has turned to the culinary skills of the nation.

Let me share a few of these innovations with you:

• First up is Yowk, which promises a perfectly soft boiled egg to be enjoyed on the move. Yowk comes with an egg, egg cup, breadstick soldiers, salt and pepper, plus a spooth (spoon with a tooth) – a traditional spoon, including a point to provide an effective method to remove the shell lid. The packaged egg has been pre-cooked and consumers just need to add boiling water and leave for a few minutes in order to enjoy what the manufacturer describes as "simply dippy goodness". I am a firm believer in the five-minute rule for soft boiled eggs and it never fails me. Would I buy the Yowk? At £1.79 per egg, it is considerably more expensive than standard eggs, but if I find myself in work one day desperate for eggs and soldiers but without a hob and saucepan available, then at least I know theres a solution
• Next we have Ketteale, described as the worlds first gadget to simplify the art of tea making. The process is simple; after loading the teabag(s) into the carrier, press the cup and saucer button. The LED illuminates red to signal that the boiling process has started. Three minutes after the teabag is dispensed into the boiling water, the LED will change to green (accompanied by an audible warning) to signal that the tea is brewed and ready to drink. Now, making tea may seem like an easier task than boiling an egg, but people do differentiate between a good cuppa and a not so good cuppa, so perhaps the helping hand wont go amiss for some
• Finally, theres Aveves new Cake in a Cup, a Belgian chocolate soufflé cake ready in less than one minute. Microwave mug cakes have been doing the rounds in recent years and theres no shortage of recipes online and in books which describe bundling the usual cake mix ingredients into a mug and sticking it in the microwave for a few minutes. However, Aveve has gone one step further and gives you everything you need in one box – a porcelain cup, two all-in mixes of 70g and the recipe. Just when you thought cake making couldnt get any easier!

Opinion has been divided in the office between fun and novelty items and evidence of a lazy nation. However, I read and write a lot about consumer demand for on the go and quick and easy food and drink products these days, and the above items certainly fulfill that convenience factor.

What do you think?