In 1947, Barbara Beckingham and Pasquale (Pat) Cardone married in St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Winchester.

The couple had met two years earlier when PAT was stationed in Winchester as a GI with the US Army.

When Barbara met Pat, she was only 16, and her father said, ‘If you love her that much, come back when she is 18, and I will allow you to marry her‘.

He did come back - and they married in 1947.

They returned to the USA where they raised family and lived happily ever after for 59 years - sadly they never made 60 years as Pat passed away in June 2006.

As Barbara is my auntie we always keep in touch by phone calls and letters and little packages which help to cheer up her day.

One day I asked her what she was really missing from England - and she said Tomato ketchup, Cadbury’s chocolate, Bird’s custard powder, Oxo cubes and a Christmas Pudding.

So, when I saw that Swaythling Parish Christmas Puddings were for sale, I immediately thought I would buy one and send it out to her.

So, off it went at the beginning of December to New York. And we hope she enjoys it and it reminds her of England.