3. A love of menus

Diana Henry, the well-loved food writer reads from her collected essays. Today, she considers the pleasure of creating a menu and the cuisines of California and Mexico City.

Around the Table by Diana Henry is a selection of her very best essays, handpicked from across her career in food. Over five episodes we travel the world in her company and delight in the ingredients, the produce, the cooks and chefs that have gone on to shape her life and her cooking.

Diana takes us from the bustling Turkish groceries of the Edgware Road which defined her twenties; to kitchen tables in France where she learned how to make the perfect vinaigrette during her teenage years; to a trattoria tucked away in the suburbs of Rome; to the chilly Vermont countryside famed for its maple syrup. Lastly, we travel back to her homeland in Northern Ireland where she reflects on her mum's culinary skills and her dad's culinary curiosity.

Diana's vivid writing reminds us of the joy to be found in good food, from the humble apple, to rose ice-cream, to truffles and to pasta.

Diana Henry has regular columns in the press, and is the author of twelve books including Salt, Sugar, Smoke, A Change of Appetite and From the Oven to the Table. Before becoming a food writer, Diana was a TV producer.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Producer Elizabeth Allard