A necessity: Violet Elizabeth Green, my much-indulged Yorkshire terrier. Age: unknown - she was a rescue dog. Microchip number: 826 0998 100 261930. Passport pending (imminent arrival). Until then, my substitute is my teddy bear hot-water bottle.

A luxury: A cow on wheels, plus a dairymaid to follow me around with a constant supply of fresh milk. I can't bear the UHT milk I'm forced to drink abroad.

A memento: I bring back at least one shell or pebble from every beach I visit. They're all jumbled together in a big bowl, and when I touch them, I'm reminded of hot sunny days, swimming in warm, blue seas.

If only: I'd accepted the invitation from a handsome stranger some 25 years ago to board a banana boat from Bombay to the Maldives and on into the blue horizon_ I was too young and frightened to go. What a fool.The Maldives are not the only thing to have changed since then!

• Henrietta Green has just been awarded Campaigner of the Year by BBC Radio 4's Food Programme. Her Food Lovers' Fair goes on the road this summer.