If I was to die tomorrow, then today I would go out and get all the ingredients for a cheese board:

A strong blue cheese.

A perfectly aged sharp cheese.

One soft and nutty cheese.

Two packets of crackers, the best kind I can find.

A bunch of spiced, stuffed and seasoned olives dripping in oil.

A fruity chutney.

Two bunches of grapes.

And, last but not least, a bottle of red wine.

It was our tradition, each week, to get all of these things together, me laying out the olives in small bowls while Oliver opens the wine. Then we would sit and feast.

There is no greater pleasure than that of a cheeseboard - the mingling of creamy, salty and pungent flavours with the sultry headiness of the wine. I love the way it brings together such simple ingredients - the fruits and labours of the earth, of my home country, and makes each one shine out in its pure state of being.