£7.10!! Down here in Bristol we'd only get £2.50 per 12 hour shift for going without a break. I didn't realise the cost of food was 3 times as much in London :o) Our protected meal breaks seem to be working out ok, it's certainly great to be able to sit down to a meal and know that you will be able to finish it. However, due to the semi-rural state of the service, there have been many occasions where we have had to travel for over half an hour to reach an emergency due to other crews being on their protected meal breaks. I can't deny though, that I'd rather have it that way, and know that I've got the strength and the state of mind to cope with whatever I find when I get there.