Momofuku Ando serves 85 billion noodles, dies.

Life is like a noodle. It has a beginning, an end and gets all delicious and tangly in the middle. Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant packet noodles sadly reached the end of his noodle on January 5th and leaves an astonishing legacy...

As you may have read on dimsum.co.uk, I have something of a soft spot for noodles, as a comfort food, a fully fledged meal or an excuse to fly to Japan. My noodle cupboard has boxes of instant ramen made by Nissin, the very company Taiwanese-born Ando founded in post-war Japan to produce his flash-fried noodle cakes.

Bewilderingly, in 1958, they were so expensive that only the very well off could afford them - a far cry from the 10p offerings you can now find on the bottom shelf in any supermarket or corner store. Could Ando have ever imagined then, that 85 billion packs would be consumed worldwide last year?

There can be no doubt that his legacy will live on, for as long as there are students, gamers and IT geeks there will always be a noodle stash nearby. Our very own Pot Noodle has its roots in Nissin's 1972 invention, the Cup Noodle. Heck, Nissin even developed "Space Ram" and sent it up into the heavens with a Japanese astronaut.

Ando himself lived to the ripe old age of 96, attributing his good health to eating ramen almost every day and playing golf. Now there's a recipe for longevity I can aspire to.

Personally, I can think of no greater tribute than a warm bowl of his best, served simply with steamed vegetables and a cup of green tea, but maybe that's just because it's nearly lunchtime. Thanks then, Ando, for creating a comfort food we can take solace in. I raise my bowl to you.