It has to be Chinese

What are your favorite types of foods?

Our mother would take us out for meals occasionally when we were children. Sometimes it was Indian, but mostly Chinese. I like the flavours, the textures, the combination of ingredients. Duck with hoisin sauce, chicken chow mein, special fried rice, beef with spring onions and black bean sauce. All kinds of other things. I just like it, although I have read that the Chinese food in the UK is not authentic.

Mom got us to use chop sticks which added to the unique and special feeling it was to eat out. In those days the only other form of Chinese food was Vesta Chow mein which came in a box and you added hot water to it I think, and fried prawn crackers. But they were good memories.

Cake

What are your favorite types of foods?

I am not allowed much of this delectable delicacy. But it has to be my favourite. I usually say trifle but that’s like a squidgy layered cake. I like individual cakes, chocolate éclairs, apple turnovers, Eccles cakes.

I could list more. I can make a good Victoria sponge, but I would use sweetener instead of sugar to try and make it healthier. I sometimes make marbled cake, that’s where you make the cake batter up then add cocoa or chocolate to half of it. You then gently stir the two halves together so that the colours mingle but don’t mix. When it’s cooked you can see a pattern of marbling in it.

To be honest I didn’t know I knew so much about cake, but it’s not an obsession. I just enjoy it as a treat.