Paddington bear is celebrating his fiftieth birthday. Yes it's been five decades since the Peruvian immigrant with a love for marmalade sandwiches arrived at a certain railway terminus and took up residence with the Brown family. Their housekeeper, Mrs Bird, instinctively knew that bears need plentiful supplies of that bitter-sweet breakfast jam if they're to maintain the shine on their fur. And so a message was sent to the local grocer for top up supplies. How times have changed. Now finding and purchasing a decent pot of marmalade suitable for south American bears and Wiltshire-born writers with a penchant for chunky, dark and sour marmalade is virtually impossible.

Despite having a diverse culinary heritage inspired through invasion, it seems we British are more interested in mastering Italian cuisine than our own traditional dishes. A new European-wide survey by Apetina cheese found that 61% of the Brits that responded would prefer to cook as Pietro and Paola rather than Peter and Paulas. But I've got news for those pasta throwing wanna-bes – ravioli and macaroni have been part of British culture for centuries.

Stilton is one of those cheeses you either love or hate. Looking rather too much like a cheese that's been left at the back of the fridge too long, it's blue veins will either inspire fear or a reverential delight. If it's only the smell that puts you off then you'll have no problems entering this May Day's Stilton Cheese Rolling Championships taking place in Stilton, the Cambridgeshire village that made the cheese famous.

Thanks to all all paulagoddard.com readers who entered the Win Black Magic's new range of dark chocolates competition. This competition has now closed.

Take a look to see if your name is among the 10 winners to receive Black Magic's complete new range of chocolates including the Dark Chocolate Collection, Dark Discovery, Dark Chocolate Thins and Black Magic bars. If your name isn't listed, don't despair - why not enter my new competition to win red, white and sparkling wine from Jacob's Creek.