I was fascinated to read an article in the Huffington Post books section this week about a company called Literary Dinners, which creates ‘a pop-up restaurant for a night, specifically located for the author in question, a lavish spread and a reading (or two) from the author hosting’. What a marvellous idea!

As a keen cook and someone who enjoys fine dining, I’m always appreciative of new ways to experience food and dining with friends and family. And to bring books to the table as well… formidable! What an atmosphere that must produce, and what a unique and memorable way to get a feel for a story.

Imagine eating stew and bread in a rickety stone cottage on the Yorkshire moors, listening to Heathcliff and Cathy argue while the wind howls mournfully outside. Or savouring Georgia Peach Trifle from the Gone with the Wind Cook Book (Abbeville Press, 1991) in the grand dining room of a Southern mansion while Scarlett fights to save Tara.

How I would love to host a literary dinner myself for readers of my novel Burning Embers. We would all travel to Kenya, where we would sit on the veranda of a beautiful plantation house gazing out across the myriad colours of the land. We would dress in evening gowns and tuxedos, and put Simon and Garfunkel on the record player. We would dine to the same menu that Rafe cooks up for Coral on their first date in the book (see below). And then we would visit a local nightclub on the coast to watch authentic African dancing and drink champagne. Heaven!