Who likes Greek yoghurt? Not me, Eccugh!" I can't remember why my husband had brought this line into the conversation at a dinner party last weekend. But it was very bad timing. For next on the menu at our friends' house was a delightful brule of mangoes topped with the Hellenic delicacy.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry," said the wife, as my husband managed a weak smile at his pudding. "I've tried to disguise the yoghurty bit with sugar," she added, hopefully.

My husband bravely stabbed away at the chunks of fruit but he couldn't summon up the same enthusiasm he would have shown for a chocolate sponge pudding submerged in custard.

Having warned our friends about neither of us liking offal and my husband's totally unfounded prejudices against rhubarb, beetroot and Marmite (not that that's a common ingredient served to guests), I'd overlooked his aversion towards desserts with a yoghurty element.

So there we were, all faintly embarrassed.

I'm sure dinner parties are much more trouble than they used to be. A decade or so ago your guests would be grateful for what they got, which was usually a good dollop of chilli con carne followed by a tumbling profusion of profiteroles.

These days, if you haven't checked your guests' lists of "don't likes" beforehand, you can find yourself in the awkward situation of watching them push their polenta with gooseberries and marinated chicken livers around their plates with none of it finding its way to their mouths. Do you offer to cook them beans on toast or pretend you haven't noticed but keep passing them the bread basket?

I can forgive genuine vegetarians and those with allergies or bowel conditions for being particular about what's served up. But I do get a little irritated by those who refuse to eat perfectly harmless foods, especially if you're trying to cook for several fussy eaters at the same time. Among our friends we have one who doesn't like cream or onions, another who abhors cheese, another who detests chocolate (shocking!) and a very unpopular guest who won't eat "anything foreign". They're never likely to meet each other round our house. And certainly not if they ever rave about Greek yoghurt.

Just as problematic are couples with incompatible tastebuds. We know a husband and wife who have a difficulty with spices. He only likes it so hot it would render you speechless 'til Christmas. She faints at the sight of a pepper mill. The chances of cooking a dish they'd both enjoy are as remote as a Delia Smith writing a book called The Wonder of Curries.

On the whole, it's men who are the worst to cook for. Women might complain about the calorific value of certain dishes but you don't hear them saying ridiculous things such as, "I don't eat vegetables," or, "I'll have fish if you take out all the bones".

Men often say they don't like particular foods they haven't even tried. My husband is a case in point. He's never tasted Marmite but that hasn't stopped him condemning it.

His mother doesn't like it either. She has a lot to answer for.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.