My childhood was wonderfully happy. I had a warm and comfortable home, parents who loved me more than anything, lots of friends and regular holidays in the UK and abroad.

A huge and integral part of my childhood, and part of why it was so happy, was the presence of my utterly lovely paternal grandparents. Nanny and Pops. I loved them so much; they were like second parents to me. They lived on the edge of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire and I spent many a weekend or school holiday with them, baking with Nan, playing in the garden with Pops or going for long walks on the Chase.

One memory that has always stuck with me was the time Pops taught me how to get rid of dandelions in the garden. Not a particularly exciting moment in time, but for some reason I always remember it when I think of him. I can still see it now, sitting on the lush, green lawn with the paring knife in my small hand, doing exactly as he said: plunging the knife down into the soil and slicing through the root of the weed. He was so pleased with me and that feeling of knowing I’d made him proud, really helping out with a real ‘grown up’ job made me feel on top of the world. It’s a wonderfully pure and precious memory.

Memories of my Nan were more culinary-based. She was the queen of Victoria sponges and always made the best. I have many memories of making secret phone calls to her from the kitchen as I tried to make surprise birthday cakes for my Mom or Dad. She always knew the recipe off by heart and relayed it to me carefully so I could write it down. Inevitably the cakes always turned out perfectly! She passed away in December 2018 and I miss her terribly, but, I always think of her with a smile when I bake a Victoria sponge, using her recipe still, naturally.