Facing extinction due to ubiquitous mobile phones, Britain's classic red telephone boxes are being saved from death row by ingenious conversions into all sorts of new uses.

"It smells nice," a passer-by said while sniffing the waft of hot stew steaming out of one phone box in the heart of London.

Every day, dozens of office workers come down to Bloomsbury Square to get their lunch at a phone box that has been converted to hold a tiny refrigerator and shelves to put the dishes on.

The generous salads -- the house speciality -- go down particularly well with customers who like to sit in the square's gardens to enjoy their lunch.

It is one of thousands of phone boxes which are enjoying a new lease of life.