A WOMAN who lost her sense of taste for almost 15 years said she had the best meal of her life after winning an Echo competition to dine at one of Southend’s best restaurants.

Christine Taylor, 64, of Westleigh Avenue, Leigh, indulged her newly-recovered sense at Market Place’s Legend Deli yesterday, tucking into a brie burger with seasoned fries and a gooey chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream.

She lost her sense of taste in 1999 after successful chemotherapy for breast cancer, but last year recovered the sensation through a series of tablets and drops.

The deli, run by chef Jay Finlay, was recently chosen by Jamie Oliver to feed him and his crew during the filming of Jamie and Jimmy’s Food Fight Club on Southend Pier and Mrs Taylor said she could understand why.

She said: “It was the most delicious meal I’ve ever had in my life. It was fabulous.

“Jason and Jo are just so lovely – it’s a terrific experience and I will definitely be going back.”

Jay said it was a pleasure to titillate Christine’s taste buds after her ordeal and said he knew instantly she was the winning entrant.

He said: “Christine’s personality really came across in her application and I immediately thought ‘this is the one’.

“We are all about flavour and texture here, so, if you’ve got your sense of taste back, this is the place to come!”