The £1-a-minute cost of dining

Diners at some top restaurants are paying more than £1 a minute for the experience because of the trend of "table-turning", according to a survey.

About 15 per cent of leading restaurants now ask diners to leave their table after a set time during peak hours to allow another party to eat, the report by lastminute.com found.

Spokesman Mark Bower said: "Diners understand restaurants have got to make money and that one way of doing that is by getting two or more sittings.

"However, when they are being asked to spend more than 1 per minute for their meal, foodies will question the value of their chosen eaterie ."