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this part, but my mother understood my love for it, and always served my dinner with the crispiest piece, on a side plate so that the gravy wouldn't make it soggy.

5. Cookies-I am a fan of all cookies, but I really REALLY love the giant round ones. They should be slightly chewy, not hard, and preferably still slightly warm. These featured heavily in my university life, and I have very fond memories of watching films in my pyjamas with my housemates, all of us munching on giant cookies.

I've recently discovered that I can make them myself, which is a bonus as I now live in Sicily where they don't seem to exist.

6. Pasta with peas and prosciutto-A recent discovery, one of many on this island where I have encountered some of the best food in the world. This particular dish is actually considered peasant food here, but it really is the best thing to eat on a rainy winter night.

To really appreciate it, you have to let a Sicilian cook it for you. I don't know how they do it, but they can make a dish like this with only three core ingredients taste like something a Michelin-starred chef would produce.

7. Sausage and Mash-A proper English classic. The mashed potatoes should be firm, not too creamy but without any lumps, and seasoned with butter and salt. A teaspoon of wholegrain mustard can also be added.

Any variety of sausage is acceptable, as long as the meat is of good quality. I like pork and leek, pork and bramley apple, or honey and mustard, and have recently discovered pork and lemon here in Sicily. Peas and onion gravy round this dish off nicely.

8. Askeli Salad-A friend and I made this discovery in the Askeli Taverna on the island of Poros, Greece where I spent many summers as a child. We tried to recreate it back in England, but we could never get it right.

It consists of ham, prawns, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, grated cheese, mixed leaves and a marie rose sauce. It sounds very improbable, and indeed our own efforts to make it were disastrous, but it remains to this day the tastiest salad I've ever eaten.

9. Crayfish and Mixed Leaf Baguette-This became a favourite of mine during my summers working in kitchens. I'd have one for lunch every day for about three months straight. The crayfish should be mixed with a marie rose sauce (not too runny) and seasoned with paprika and lemon juice. The leaves need to be crispy and crunchy; rocket or watercress are not appropriate here. The baguette should be warm, and buttered on the side touching the lettuce. Perfect.

10. Carrot cake-This is the queen of all the cakes. It should not be spoilt with walnuts or pecan nuts or any other kind of nut which ruins the soft, heavy texture. I am happy to eat it plain, but it can also be served with butter icing with a hint of vanilla or lemon. This is yet another childhood dish.

I refused to believe that it actually had carrots in it and was horrified to discover that I'd been happily munching my most detested vegetable in my favourite dessert.

These may be my top ten, but only just. It's a list that I could continue with forever, and will be constantly altering for the rest of my life. There are always new avenues to explore in the world of food, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I will die a very fat old lady. Happy eating!

Learn more about this author, Katy Hughes.
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