It's the little things.

When I'm down, I think about food. It may sound sad, but that's where I find true happiness. In particular, I think about when I was little and the food my mum used to make. The aroma that would fill the kitchen when she made her famous Toad-In-The-Hole or made a hearty pot of broth, with a hunk of brisket boiled in it. I remember watching her baking on the odd occasion when it was wet outside and there was nothing for me to do around the farm. She would bake girdle scones (on an electric girdle) that I'd eat when they were hot, slathered in butter and jam. Her bannocks were light, fluffy and the perfect balance of sweet and sour when splashed liberally with lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar.

I also remember her taking the care to strain my broth for me, take the onions out of the mince and make me jam sandwiches for lunch. As a youngster, I was a fussy eater. I loved the taste of her broth - just not the pulses included. I also hated onions. It wasn't the flavour, but the texture. So it's apparent that textures have been an issue for me during my entire life. Now, I can't touch a cement wall with my bare hands, nor can I eat an iced bun... even the thought of my teeth going through the grainy icing and hitting the crispy bun underneath sends shivers down my spine and makes me feel a little queasy. But, I'm chuffed to report that my weird eating habits are no longer so weird.

However, I can eat broth, pulses, beans (but I still have to take the loose husks out), and mince without feeling the urge to run away from the table, screaming. Admittedly, I have to have any sauces or gravies on the side of my meals, I must always have a mouthful of meat left over to eat last, and I can't drink alcohol while I'm eating. I'm a strange one.

But thinking about these little things, reminiscing on times gone by, and remembering the times that will never be repeated, I start to feel happier in myself. These are the times that will always remain with me, flavours that will stick in my mind and bring me instantly back to those days.

Some of my favourite combinations of food are fish fingers and white sauce, steak and drambuie cream sauce, macaroni cheese and bacon, scallops and black pudding, salmon and soft poached duck egg, and sausages and mash. Some classics, some strange.

What are yours?