Watch: The people of Wolverhampton tell us about the best food in the West Midlands

Throughout the world, people love food, whether it's in a restaurant, from a vendor on the street, by the seaside, on a night out after a few drinks or from a fast food place.

I personally enjoy a pizza or a burger from KFC, while my favourite meal in Spaghetti Bolognese, closely followed by Chilli Con Carne, but I am open to trying most foods.

Throughout September, the Express & Star will be working with its sister publications across the country from National World to showcase the best food and drink outlets, producers, restaurants and people responsible for cooking, brewing and making the products people love.

National World has made September Food and Drink Month, an initiative that has been backed by UKHospitality, the voice of the sector.

To start the month off, I wanted to find out what people working and shopping in Wolverhampton liked to eat, as well as whether there was anything they specifically liked from the Black Country, Staffordshire and surrounding area.

Walking through the centre of Wolverhampton, you're not short of places to eat, with popular eateries like Greggs and McDonald's mixing with places selling burritos, pretzels, small pizzas, fried chicken, Indian street food and more upmarket burgers and wraps.

Walk a bit further and you'll find fish and chip shops, places selling bubble tea and crepes, cafes offering all-day breakfasts and hot mugs of tea and coffee and, into the evenings, places with kebabs, pizzas and a range of other takeaway options, plus Italian and Thai restaurants.

People working and shopping in the city centre may have been thinking about what they were having for dinner or what they had had for lunch, while also having good ideas of what their favourite meals were.

Friends Henry Mwankwo and Mudiaga Jay were sat chatting outside Wolverhampton's outdoor market on Cleveland Street.

Both 30-year-old Henry and 26-year-old Mudiaga were from Nigeria, so they said that they preferred food that was meaty and had spice to it, while they were still looking for something in Wolverhampton that took their fancy.

Henry said: "I particularly like to eat traditional foods and I like a lot of meat like beef, pork and chicken and potatoes, so something that is very starchy and hearty.

"Coming from Nigeria, I like a lot of spice and I've got a spice tolerance and love spicy food and, around here, there's a lot of African stalls, so I tend to buy things like tomatoes, peppers and chickens and then make a traditional African stew with rice on the side as I eat a lot of rice.

"Around Wolverhampton, I haven't tried a lot, but I find that when you want to try something new, you want to find somewhere that makes it well, so I've had peri peri, lamb chops, shrimps, prawns and seafood and been to Bentley Bridge and tried the food places there, with some that I liked and some that I hated."

Mudiaga said: "I like to eat African food and traditional dishes and I love a palm oil soup called Banga soup, which is starchy and I can eat it with rice.

"Living here, I've found that the cultural differences also extend to food and nutrition as sometimes the food and soups are less spicy that I would like.

"I might be tempted to try a curry, something spicy, but I feel like there should also be some infusion of other cultural foods as there's not enough African food around for me."

Along Dudley Street, there are a number of eateries, from a pound bakery to chains like Burger and Sauce and KFC, while the Mander Centre hosts places like Hasty Tasty Pizza.

One person who was enjoying a pizza from that place was 22-year-old Barney Stokes from Pattingham, with the pizza being part of his love for Italian food.

He said: "I would always go for some good Italian food, such as Spaghetti Bolognese or a lasagne, as I just love Mediterranean food.

"I ate a lot of it when I was in Amsterdam last year as there were so many nice restaurants and I'd love to go to the Mediterranean for some traditional food.

"I live in South Staffordshire, so I would say I love curry and chips when I'm out and about and I do love a pork scratching as well."

Someone who had settled into the region was Warren Wong from Tettenhall, with the 44-year-old originally from Hong Kong.

He said his palate was one which really loved the taste of home, but he was prepared to try other things as well.

He said: "I love dim sum and a lot of the evening dishes in Chinese cuisine and I like the authentic stuff, not the stuff you get in takeaways, as it makes me feel like I'm at home.

"I do like Italian food and fish and chips, particularly orange chips as they have nice crunchiness and flavour to them and I like a pizza, although that depends on time and mood.

"I don't tend to venture out much for things like curries as my family don't really like spice, so I've had to pull back from that and when we go, it's once in a blue moon."