I was innocently peeling the sticker off an orange this morning when my eye caught the word "California".

Why sugar plum fairy, you might ask. She's a character in Tchaikovsky's ballet Nutcracker. And she's a keeper of sweets. Such as the sweet I'm about to make - plum leather.

As you will soon be able to see from my avatar - drawn by the incredibly talented Margaret Tolland - my universe is filled with food. If it was up to me this blog would be an edible one filled with gooey chocolate, freshly baked bread and home made pizza. Mind you, not all at the same time.