Mint I can only really abide in drinks, or in a savoury sense, such as in a sauce. Moroccan mint tea and mojitos are heavenly. I can just about manage a peppermint chocolate after a meal, but wouldn't choose to eat several in one sitting!

When I was younger, I couldn't stand cinnamon. It was how I imagined powdered trees would taste (I know it is actually tree bark!). Now I don't mind it, possibly as a result of using cinnamon sticks in Asian and North African recipes once I started to cook for myself. I still wouldn't choose a cinnamon doughnut over, say, a chocolate one, but I have become a lot less fussy about it in recent years.

I like spicy and Oriental flavours, or anything salty, like feta cheese and capers. I could eat a diet consisting exclusively of olives and vegetarian antipasti for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy.