Is charging for soya milk acceptable? - I don't think so...

I have been lactose intolerant for more than 6 months now, and the transition has been nothing short of painful. I have given up all the foods I previously loved, ice cream, cream, cheese, chocolate, and even salt and vinegar crisps.

But more than anything else the hardest shock to my taste buds has been the substitution of cows' milk for soya milk.

If you've never tried soya milk, lets just say it's an acquired taste. At first I hated it. For an avid semi-skimmed milk drinker soy milk tastes, quite frankly, like gone off milk. But after 6 months of trying all the milk substitutions on the market - from oat, lactose free, rice and soy milk - I have reached the firm conclusion that in my coffee soya is by far the best.

As a coffee addict, what annoys me more than anything is having to pay for the pleasure of having soy milk in my drink. Why should I have to pay an extra 30 pence at Starbucks in order to have a drink that is actually drinkable? Why should people with allergies suffer financial loss in order to enjoy their caffeine fix.

On top of the 30 pence extra for my 'special' milk, I also have to pay 30 pence for my sugar free vanilla syrup, which helps me to tolerate the gone off soya taste. Some coffee shops, such as Costa, don't charge for their soya, and for that I am always very grateful, however, their coffee just isn't that nice - I think it's a personal taste issue.

So why do I pay? Because I'm addicted to Starbucks, because I love their coffee, and because I have to have my coffee. Also, at least Starbucks provide soya for me, some places just down right refuse to accommodate us, and there is nothing I hate more than that.

So next time you sit down with your steaming cup of coffee, spare a thought for people like me, who have to fork out extra for their daily drink. Perhaps you will enjoy your coffee more.