In no order whatsoever:

Cappuccino. Outside. In the sun: Part of what made this such a satisfying experience was the fact that the sun was shining. I've adopted a 'carpe momentum' to the precious moments when the sun has shone for the past few weeks. Me and a good friend were people-watching and basking in the unfamiliar rays outside Bar Italia, a Soho institution. Plaque alert: Bar Italia itself has a plaque for John Logie Baird, who first demonstrated television in the building. And two doors down, opposite Ronnie Scotts, is a plaque to Mozart, who lived and worked there. A rich mix. Truly excellent coffee. And I paid in euros.

Bakewell tart chocolate: Yes, really. I went to the Thorntons Christmas chocolate press preview - lot of lovely seasonal chocolate items, and this was one of the best I tried. Smooth, creamy chocolate suffused with marzipanny frangipane flavour, with a hint of raspberry jam and crisp pastry, all in a square bar of chocolate. As the PR said, Thorntons is a Derbyshire-based company, and Bakewell is a local delicacy, so it's important to get it right. Which they have.Buy it from Thorntons, £1.89.

Cherries: My all-time absolute favourite fruit. In season now. I can eat a pound on my own, though I wouldn't recommend it. What more can I say?

Red and white quinoa: Why is every mention of quinoa followed by the bracketed instruction '(pronounced keen-wa)'? You don't get that with chorizo (that's choreetho or choreesso, depending on the origin of your Spanish, but not choreetso) or bruschetta (that's broosketta, not brooshetta). Anyway, with your basic carbs, you can't beat a bit of colour diversity (I'm thinking wholewheat pasta, wild rice, red rice...) and red and white quinoa, from Merchant Gourmet, available in supermarkets, comes ready-cooked in a keep-in-the-cupboard packet, so very convenient. I love the texture of its tiny bobbles.

Red wine cubes: I know this is a tip that everyone knows: freeze leftover wine (sorry, what's that?) in an ice cube tray, then pop out a couple of cubes into sauces and so on. I've known it for years, but I haven't done it until this week, when we were given a leftover red wine box from a party. And it was on its way to becoming sherry so undrinkable. But a couple of cubes added the required richness to a tomato-based sauce.

The five best things I ate last week

What have you enjoyed eating or drinking this week, at home or on holiday?