Cupboard Love

It might only be mid-August, but autumn is definitely in the air. I can smell its sharp mustiness in the early morning, and sense it in the mist that curls round the garden. And I am glad, for autumn is absolutely my favourite time of year. The bright, low sunshine gladdens my heart and fills me with energy. September for me is a time of new beginnings, a chance for resolution after the decadent laziness of summer.

And I come over all Mrs Tiggywinkle, unable to resist the urge to pluck shiny blackberries from the hedgerows and scoop windfall apples from the grass under the tree. I start collecting jars to fill with jewel-bright home-made jam and chutneys.

And there is one thing I lust after, more than anything by Tiffany, Bulgari or Cartier. You can keep your en-suite wet room with underfloor heating or your home cinema. What I really want is a proper larder. A little room off the kitchen (size doesn't matter) with a stone floor, marble shelving, zinc-lined meat safes and iron hooks hanging from the ceiling. Capacious cupboards with hefty black hinges. Somewhere I can store all the food I am gathering in for the winter months - ropes of amber-skinned onions and nobbly garlic, baskets of rosy apples, strings of chorizo, bottles of sloe gin and damson vodka ...

At the moment I've got a utility room with a couple of shelves from B and Q over the washing machine, but I shall still take pleasure in arranging the bottles, jars, boxes and packets in a pleasing order while I scour rightmove.com for my dream.

Hotel du Vin-tastic!

I can't believe I am 46 and I've never been to Brighton before. How did I miss this iconic rite of passage? Nary a bank holiday awayday or a dirty weekend in all my days. Well, I'm making up for it now - and in the best possible style - as writer in residence at the Hotel du Vin in Ship Street. It's an awesome Gothic revival meets mock Tudor building done out with the usual Hdv flair and panache, a stunning two-floor bar and a buzzy bistro - and adjoining it is the unique Pub du Vin, encompassing tradition with a twist (pork scratchings and pickled onions available at the bar). I loved the pewter bar and the trompe l'oieul: peeling wallpaper shwoing exposed brick.

And it was here I met up with an old friend from school. When you are incarcerated in a girls' boarding school for months on end, the bonding is pretty deep. Gilly and I didn't miss a beat before plunging into three hours of catching up and reminiscence over as many bottles of wine (we had a bit of help!). Gilly now runs the idyllic Sussex House Party - a retreat for writers which also holds literary dinner parties.

Tonight is the launch of my latest novel The Beach Hut so I'm going to be celebrating with a glass of something chilled and fizzy in the Balfour Room with my colleagues from Orion - please come and join us in a toast.

Splendid Isolation

The single diner's weapon of choice

Being alone in a hotel is an art in itself. Especially dining by oneself in a buzzy restaurant. I think I have perfected how not to feel self-conscious or like an Anita Brookner character. The essential tool is a notebook and pen. Not only does this have the staff on their toes - who knows which illustrious food magazine or newspaper you might be reviewing for? - but it makes you look other-worldly and interesting to the other guests. They stop giving you looks of pity and become curious instead. And in the meantime, you can sip thoughtfully at your Shiraz and then scribble furiously - never mind that it's next week's shopping list. For all they know you are grading the establishment for a possible Michelin star. Or scribbling down their idiosyncracies for your next novel.

Which in my case is true - my next book is going to be called The Long Weekend, and it's set in a chic townhouse hotel by the sea. There are assignations, reunions and, of course, a stag party. The Hotel du Vin in Poole has been the perfect place for some undercover research and inspiration - the surroundings are absolutely perfect, the decor is divine and the staff are quite charming. Any bad behaviour on the part of my fictional characters will bear no resemblance!

Also inspiring have been the incredible Sunseeker boats in the harbour. I have been lingering longingly, desperate for a guided tour, but I don't think I am quite in their price bracket yet. I'm not a great boat person, but these motor yachts are sleek, sexy and mouthwatering - I think I'm going to have to give one of my characters the keys for some on-board shennanigans.

Tomorrow I am off to Brighton - I can't believe I have reached 46 and have never been! I'm also going to catch up with some friends I haven't seen for years - I hope the Hotel du Vin staff there have been polishing their cocktail shakers in preparation.