Crushed by the credit squeeze? Bowled over by Black Monday? If you are a City worker lucky enough to have earned a bonus at the end of last year, there is one sure-fire way to beat the January gloom - splash out £1,000 on just one super-luxurious dinner.

Despite the ominous financial climate, there are few signs of incipient austerity among bonus earners as they turn to those staples of luxury living - food, drink and art - to ease their troubles.