UK

‘Guinness is Good For You’ said the ads seen on posters throughout the 30s, 40s and 50s. But we didn’t care one way or the other - unlike most things that ‘do you good’ like sprouts and broccoli - this cake is delicious and we begged to have it for tea. There are lots of different versions but this is my favourite... and it keeps wonderfully well (without the frosting) for several days in an airtight tin so can be made before the hordes arrive.

Fish and chips are ubiquitous in the U.K. But I can tell you, that doesn’t mean they’re all on equal playing ground. On a recent getaway to Hastings on the coast of East Sussex, I discovered a one-woman show not to be missed.

Hastings is a typical seaside fishing town. Picture a charming “old town” (antique shops, old pubs, even houses dating back to 1450) with a bit of seaside kitsch mixed in, amusement-park style.

When we visit Scotland in the fall, it is the season when everyone traditionally tucks into large meals of roast grouse, pheasant or partridge, served with all the trimmings on long oak tables in a draughty dining room, a roaring log fire at one end. Typically, it is nice and warm by the fire and freezing cold everywhere else. But what I enjoy most is walking along the lanes in the early evening before dinner, the hedgerows heavy with juicy blackberries. They taste so much better than the huge, identical cultivated ones that gleam temptingly in the shops.