Desserts: questions and Band 8 answers

Not really on a daily basis, to be honest. I tend to save them for special occasions like birthdays or when I'm dining out at the weekend. If I do have something sweet after dinner on a weekday, it's usually just a bit of dark chocolate or some fresh fruit.

I have quite a sweet tooth, but I generally lean towards rich, warm puddings. Things like sticky toffee pudding or a classic apple crumble served with hot custard are my absolute favourites, especially during the colder months when you want something comforting.

Yes, definitely more than I do now. My grandmother was an amazing baker, so she used to spoil my cousins and me with homemade biscuits and sponge cakes almost every weekend. Looking back, I had far too much sugar, but it was lovely at the time.

Yes, quite a few. One well-known example is rice pudding infused with cardamom and topped with toasted almonds. It's often prepared for festivals or family celebrations, and people usually serve it warm in winter or chilled during the summer months.

I'd say so, yes. As a child, I went for anything sugary and brightly coloured, like gummy sweets or heavy frosting. Nowadays, I prefer desserts with subtler flavours, like matcha tarts or citrus-based treats, where the sweetness doesn't completely overpower everything else.

I'd love to, actually. I can manage basic cookies, but I've always wanted to master pastry making, particularly things like flaky fruit tarts or sourdough pastries. It requires a lot of patience and precision, so taking a weekend baking course is definitely on my bucket list.