Why I love: Ice-cream

Name: Anne Fadiman

Occupation: Author

Passion: A chill on the lips

Ice-cream stimulates all five senses. The spectrum of hues, from innocent strawberry to sombre chocolate, delights the eye. The aroma delights the nose. The chill delights the lips. The panoply of flavors delights the palate. The subtle crunch of nut fragments, audible only to the chewer, delights the ear.

If you have even a shred of hedonism, the most foolproof remedy for taedium vitae is extracting a pint of Häagen-Dazs from your freezer or, as I did last week, visiting Fortnum & Mason's parlour. The menu had some impressively adult flavours (British Navy rum and raisin, pear and Calvados sorbet), but I opted for Sandringham coffee, praline nocciola, and Amedei chocolate with a miniature jug of hot chocolate sauce. After all, what ice-cream lover wants to grow up?

'At Large and At Small Confessions of a Literary Hedonist' by Anne Fadiman (Penguin, 12.99), is out now.