Party season

It’s been a whirlwind month - four trips up and down to London for bashes that could not be missed. I returned with a groaning camera roll.

The picture at the top is of Penguin’s 90th Birthday Party, held at the Design Museum in Kensington High Street. This was an extremely hot ticket and star-studded. To drop a few names, I loved catching up with Zandra Rhodes – whom I interviewed as a cub reporter in the 1990s and was dripping with Andrew Logan jewellery – as well masses of writers and food writers (including Rick Stein and Jay Rayner). I pounced on Michael and Clare Morpurgo and signed the authors’ wall (which I think will be rolled up and brought out for Penguin’s 100th birthday.

On to the Royal Institution in Albemarle Street for the Guild of Food Writers Awards, presented by the fabulous Leyla Kazim and chaired by Samuel Goldsmith. A lovely moment was the gathering of four winners of the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award – Elisabeth Luard, Claudia Roden, Jill Norman and (receiving her award that night) Arabella Boxer.

Capital Crime is one of the biggest of the UK’s many crime writing festivals. I didn’t win the award I was up for – though I was thrilled to be shortlisted – but it was another evening to remember, hosted by Steph McGovern (herself a crime writer).