Infants have around 30,000 tastebuds, only about a third of which survive into adulthood, so a child's sensitivity towards extremes of sweet, sour and bitter flavours is heightened.

Call me tacky, but I love the union of sweet and sour, even in some now-unloved Oriental dishes incorporating pineapple and ketchup.

Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, all must be tasted

The smells of slow cooking spread around the house and impart a unique warmth matched only by the flavour of the food.

Chinese sausage, which is widely available from Asian grocers and online, is sweet, rich, and enticingly smoky. I add it to steamed rice with strips of omelette and a few baby veg stir-fried with soy.

My secret with kale is to add lots of sweet or sharp flavours to offset some of that grassy intensity.