My earliest food memory was on a Spanish exchange trip. I was thirteen years old and feeling completely out of my comfort zone but loving the independence. Supper in Spain was a glorious experience and one evening, my host family served a huge Valencian paella. It looked and smelt amazing. I was told it was a ‘Classic’ paella of chicken and seafood. I must admit the chicken didn’t taste like the chicken I’d had at home; it was much more flavourful and when I’d finished every last grain of rice on my plate, I was told that it was actually, conejo (rabbit). I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at the time but knew that I enjoyed it. Just goes to show, we must try everything without pre-judging. Sometimes, the unexpected can be so rewarding.

We all have our favourite new entrants to the market but when I go out, I love to have an experience. When restaurants dare to be bold and allow me to bank a food memory, that’s when I know I’ve had a good meal. Eating is sensorial. More than that, it’s about interpreting the information that your senses give you. Experience is king!

Eating a warming Irish stew with my nana is probably my most memorable meal. I remember peeling all the vegetables and us nursing the pan for hours. We then fought over the dumplings. True nostalgia and an experience that will forever warm my heart.

My ideal dinner guest would be Adam Byatt or Pete Redman as that would mean, I wouldn’t need to cook. I’m not the greatest cook but love good food and know that these two would deliver perfection and huge talking points. If I could throw in one more, I would choose Charles Saatchi. Being a marketeer at heart, this man’s campaigns went down in history and helped shape the future of the advertising world but he is shrouded in mystery; I would love to have the opportunity to tap in to that beautiful brain.

If I’m honest, I rarely use cookbooks. I prefer to ad lib and hope for the best. But, when I do purchase, I buy from a social enterprise because I love the authenticity and they offer recipes that are value for money.

Having two teenage children, the alarm on our fridge door makes its own sensory experience! But for me, the three items that are always kept in our fridge are butter, Alabrino and Buchanan’s Brie.