Daily Bread: What the romantic novelist and socialite ate one day last week: Dame Barbara Cartland

Breakfast is very important because one's blood sugar must be raised. Best of all, one should have a full breakfast. Yesterday, however, I had only a scrambled egg, a cup of Earl Grey tea without milk or sugar, and my vitamin tablets. I have lunch very early, after I have walked the dogs. This time I had a piece of chicken in an orange and syrup sauce with carrots; I also had some bottled water. I then ate nothing else until teatime. Often I have people round to interview me, so we have an elaborate tea; my chef makes delicious cakes, biscuits, shortbreads and meringues. I always have Earl Grey tea. In the evening I had 14 people round for dinner and my chef made a wonderful meal. Before the meal we had a glass of Champagne. For dinner we started with prawns and egg with beef tomatoes, and then salmon with fresh vegetables. The salmon was mixed with mushrooms, onions, egg and mayonnaise and covered in pastry - a Russian dish, but without rice which they normally use. With the meal I had a glass of white wine. We then had pink meringue baskets and strawberry ice-cream with a raspberry sauce. After the ice-cream came game pate with toast. I then had a glass of port and a plate of home-made chocolates. I will not have coffee at night, so that was all for the evening.

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