ROYAL MAIL has issued six colourful Changing Tastes stamps.

As one of the most culturally-diverse nations in the world, the UK has access to an assortment of global cuisine, capable of satisfying even the most discerning of palates.

For this stamp issue, the images which most tickled Royal Mail's tastebuds were those created by Royal College of Art Swiss student Catell Ronca, whose mouth-watering offerings were chosen as part of an annual stamp design project with the RCA.

Her images were issued on the set of stamps depicting tea, rice, pasta, apples, sushi, and fish and chips

Part of the brief for Changing Tastes was to explore the theme of multicultural Britain in any way the students wished.

Ms Ronca's inspiration came from the two things she feels bring everyone together - food and drink.

As she walked around with her sketchbook, she realised that inside any caf or restaurant you see people from a whole spectrum of ethnic groups enjoying foods from different cultures.

"I was inspired by looking around me," said Ms Ronca.

"I love to watch people and noticed so many characters."

She made rapid, thumbnail-size drawings from life.

"I started by concentrating on the foods, displays of cakes, the patterns of a meal on a plate, a whole pizza seen from above, but soon began to include the people eating too."

From her original sketches, Ms Ronca developed the characters more fully, taking notes of styles of clothing and hair.

"I was very aware of avoiding cliches. I didn't want to slip into portraying stereotypes.

"The ideas all came from the street, but needed refining so that they worked as a set," she said.

Juliette Edgar, head of special stamps at Royal Mail, said: "Catell's illustrations are a real explosion of colour and culture, fused together to show not only how diverse we are as a nation, but also the huge range of different first class foods we enjoy.

"The stamps are so vibrant and positive, and I hope they have the same effect on people when they see them on millions of letters up and down the country," she added.

The Shuttle/Times and News has teamed up with Royal Mail to run a competition where 20 readers can each win a set of the Changing Tastes stamps.

To be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question:

Which artist designed the Changing Tastes stamps?

by Friday, September 23.

Normal Newsquest rules apply.