Tell us about a sensation — a taste, a smell, a piece of music — that transports you back to childhood.
This is such an odd thing to realise, because it’s not like I can’t get citrus fruit year-round, but I always associate the smell of tangerines and clementines with Christmas.
When I was younger, there would be loads of these around at Christmas time. My brother doesn’t particularly care for fruit, so I would share them with my mother as we watched tv together. The slight spray as your fingernail breaks the skin coats your fingers, and if you’re careful, you can strip the entire fruit in one long strip of waxy, orange peel.
The taste is sweet and sharp at the same time, and they’re just so moreish – once you start eating them, you just can’t stop! Even though I can buy these all through the year, I always associate them with Christmas, even if I’m eating them in July. I can still picture the ceramic fruit bowl that would sit on the coffee table piled high with these little beauties, next to a bowl with nuts in their shells and a packet of sticky dates.
Now I buy these by the case in December, as I go through them like wildfire!
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