UNTIL a few years ago I was a great goer to and giver of parties.

Whatever the occasion, it was an excuse for a party.

Dinner parties, supper, tea parties, barbecues, you name it I gave it.

Going to parties was great fun too but, for me, the joy giving of a party was even more enjoyable.

All the planning, the guest list and, most exciting of all, the menu.

I would spend hours poring over recipe books, gazing at pictures and wondering if my dish would turn out like that.

Eventually, with the choice made, I began.

How easy it was, spreading ingredients all over the place, making the kitchen look like a jumble sale, getting out implements, turning on cookers and hobs. But what about people who are also passionate about cooking but who have a sight impairment? What challenges do they face?

Well, no cooking without ingredients so there’s the first. Online or a visit to the shops? Online is easier but no social contact. Shops are more challenging but with social contact.

Being a people person I’d choose the latter. Most shops will supply an assistant and if they don’t, my advice would be to go elsewhere.

How about knowing what you’ve bought? Another challenge. Lids where you record a message, stuck to the tin by a magnet are a great idea. It stops you thinking you’re about to eat soup but finding the menu has switched to beans.

People with sight impairments are very resourceful – clever ideas such as different numbers of elastic bands around packets; one for sugar, two for tea.

Organisation and imagination are needed if you aspire to cook. And warn all who enter your kitchen: everything must go back to its exact spot or they might find themselves drinking a cup of coffee laced with salt – in my book a just reward for not following rules.

How about safety in the kitchen? Sighted people can see if the saucepan is too near the edge so it is safer for low-vision people to use burners at the back. A tidy work surface is essential; putting a hot saucepan on an uneven surface is a recipe for disaster.

So a little reminder: when you see a guide dog helping its owner, think of the challenges that person has to face – just to live a normal life.