ShortList is supported by you, our amazing readers. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Learn more

“I’d use a different set of crockery for tea with my Nan”

Mike from west London on how he manned-up and kept a stiff upper lip

“I’d use a different set of crockery for tea with my Nan”

Any man can suffer from a lull in energy. So man-up with a bottle of new chocolate milk drink, Wing-Co. To celebrate its launch, we asked readers to share a time when they manned-up and moved on. This week, Mike tells us about a time he had to man-up and style it out in the workplace.

  • Whatever brew you're making, make sure you have a kettle for the job. Here are our top picks for best kettle.

“Everyone at work looks forward to the annual Secret Santa. It’s a chance to be silly and a little smutty in what is usually a formal office. “Last year, my mystery Mr Claus went that bit further, gifting me a mug with a picture of a bikini-clad lady on the front. When you fill the mug with a hot drink, the bikini disappears, and you can see… well… I’d use a different set of crockery for tea with my nan, put it that way.

“Smutty? Yes. Inappropriate? Very. A good Secret Santa? Absolutely. On the first week back after Christmas, we had a big pitch and I was to present.

“As we were about to kick-off, my colleague came into the boardroom with coffees and sat between me and the man we were pitching to. Five minutes into my introduction he gasped audibly, drawing everyone’s attention to our prospective client who was holding my mug aloft, and looking in horror at the image of the blonde bombshell revealing herself.

“I knew I needed to keep cool, so I swallowed the embarrassment and tried a joke: ‘Ooh. I see she likes you.’ “Fortunately, he – and then the rest of the boardroom – erupted in laughter and, amazingly, he’s now our client.”

Have you got a similar story to tell? If so, enter our competition and you could win a £500 bar tab at your local, thanks to Wing-Co.

Click here to enter