‘The Egg!’ I hiss triumphantly to my companion, tripping all over myself to get to said item. Seconds later, I’m sinking my teeth into a half-ovoid of sheer gustatory pleasure- all gooey sunset yolk, firm soy-poached white and the salty spike of fish roe. Simple. Stunning. Simply stunning…’Leave off you greedy munter,’ says the mate,’There’ll be none left for anyone else.’

I could be in trouble deep. That high street purveyor of middle class Italian nosh, Carluccio’s, is coming to a Sainsbury’s near you with a range of ready meals that knocks the competition into a cocked hat and I for one have had my head turned.

It couldn’t be easier really. You get the convenience of off-the-shelf with the aroma and freshly-baked quality of home made.

When I were a mere scrap of a lass, many family occasions were heralded by the plonking on the table of a large vat of a spicy, beefy elixir, whose flavour was largely dependent on large dollops of peanut butter. This, ostensibly, was an’African’ curry, and we ate it accompanied with white rice, sprinkled liberally with the contents of myriad small wooden bowls- tinned pineapple chunks, sliced banana, raisins, salted nuts, chopped apple…. The authenticity may have been in dispute, but never, ever, the sheer deliciousness.

Keith Hurdman holds the accolade of 2011’s Joint Chocolatier of the Year. He also hold the title of Thorntons’ master chocolatier- surely one of the most desirable jobs on the market. He might have trained all over Europe, winning medals left, right, and centre, but Keith’s current obsession is with all things British. And one of my current obsessions is his Bakewell Tart bar- a remarkable Willy Wonka treat distilling every last drop of the scrumptious pudding into a block of creamy milk chocolate.

Chilli sauces are hot property of late. Quite literally- nipping at the the heels of Wahaca’s latest, and rather tasty, offerings is Rico Picante, claiming to deliver a big whack of flavour along with a fruity burst of fire. They also tick the trend box for provenance- hailing from that oh-so-now, country-of-the-moment- Peru.

Three unassuming sachets sit in front of a skeptical me. Nice packaging design, colourful, clean graphics- and the reassuring photo of Anjum Anand, noted for championing authentic, tasty Indian food. But, ambient curry sauces? Really, Anjum? With all due respect, I’m not sold. Until, of course, I unequivocally am. Tail firmly between my legs, I award a resounding victory to ‘The Spice Tailor‘.

‘People are always ashamed to admit they use their leftovers in curries,’ Anjali Pathak declares in her broad Northern accent, ‘But that’s what Indian families do. Whatever’s around, you throw in a few spices and turn it into something tasty- nothing’s wasted’. Hopefully the notion is one which won’t be wasted on the British public, either- especially when we’re all in dire need of a cheap yet fulfilling feed.

The newest Burgen loaf is a textural feast. The flavour is mild, but the seeds give it a heartier feel and make it perfect for sandwiches and toasted with soup.

A particularly noxious Indian takeaway lubricated with copious amounts of cheap cooking oil and redolent with raw spices left me feeling somewhat dirty and used. Heck, they didn’t even throw in a couple of poppadoms. So it was with due trepidation I took delivery of a large box of curry ready meals from Donald Russell- akin, if you will, to Superman handling a polystyrene crate of Kryptonite.