Let Me Eat Cake

From the moment the six-year-old Paul Arnott sampled the contents of Tate & Lyle's magnificent green and gold tin of Golden Syrup, it was love. As he looks back over his life as a constant enthusiast, an occasional connoisseur and a relentless collector of sweet sensations, he remembers the Great Royal Icing Disaster of '72, High Tea at Buckingham Palace, Seb Coe and Treacle Tart, and discusses the legal implications of cake-naming in Vienna. Inevitably, such dedication to sweet stuff has taken its toll - which is how Paul found himself dressed as Father Christmas, no padding required. But this is not a man who believes that eating cake is a sin. It's an indulgence. And the experiences that cause every extra pound should be revered and celebrated.