You aren't a chain-smoker, are you?
No, but I can't think if I don't smoke. I don't smoke many cigarettes, perhaps, 20 a day. And I've been smoking roughly that many since I was 15. The thing is, I smoke most when I write!

You've always been a cigarette man?
My father tried to convince me to smoke cigars, but I thought I looked preposterous smoking them. I tried cigars, but didn't like them. I remember interviewing Fidel Castro and he insisted I smoke a cigar with him through the interview. I felt so sick, I could think of no questions to ask him!

Has smoking killed your tastebuds?
No, I can still identify tastes. I understand food, though I am not fond of it, and I know what it should taste like. I could probably tell what is right or wrong in most food I eat.

And what kind of food do you eat?
I don't have a favourite cuisine though I do prefer classic French cooking. Also, I am particularly fond of English pies. I was recently at Manchester for a literary festival and I found a pub which served a different pie each day. I liked its Peasant and Pork Pie.

Do you have a favourite restaurant? Is there any chef you admire?
I like the Zodiac Grill although I don't have any favourite restaurant. And I greatly admire Ananda Solomon of the Taj President. He seems to have a genuine passion for food and knows what he is doing.

Can you cook?
I used to, and very well. At Oxford, I had a flat next door to a friend, Julian Mitchel, who now writes the scripts for Inspector Morse. And on Sunday mornings, we both had friends dropping into our flats. They'd drink in his and drink in mine. At one point, the party would become one. Julian suggested we do a lunch party. I said, "Who's going to provide the bloody lunch!" He replied, "We'll learn.� We put the most exotic ingredients together. In a stew, instead of beef we put in turkey; and asparagus and artichokes instead of potatoes and onions!

What's the most exotic thing you have eaten?
Monkey's brain in Thailand. I didn't enjoy it. They cut the top of the monkey's head and scoop out the brain! It was horrible.

What do you drink?
Wine. Red or white, depends on what I am eating, and I am fairly familiar with wines.

Have you ever written about food?
Only once. I was in New Guinea, West Indies, which is very wild, and came across a war party of cannibals. First, they attacked me. Then they became friendly. They invited me to lunch and there was something cooking on a fire. Knowing they were cannibals, I said, "Thank you, very much, but my religion prohibits me from eating anything that is not out of a tin." And I opened a tin of ham and ate it.

What were the cannibals eating?
Probably a man!