I really do think that the evening - not just the food but the completely different, liberating social milieu- marked the future course of my life.

I could never again be content in my own homeland, but had instead discovered the joys of someone else's.

I ended up in Spain, rather than France, but in truth I already knew back then that it would be 'anywhere but Britain'.

And I must sadly confess that the choices made and paths followed by a majority of my compatriots over recent years would rather seem to have justified that youthful decision.