It’s been a long time coming, but on the 5th June 2008, Hungry City finally saw the light of day. It was an emotional moment for me, arriving at La Fromagerie, Patricia Michelson’s wonderful cheese shop in Marylebone, to see rows of bright new copies propped up by the window, waiting to be adopted by their new owners and taken home to read. That was my last moment of calm: the rest of the evening passed by in a whirlwind blur, trying (and failing) to speak to everyone, get through my speech without blubbing (which I nearly managed) and thanking my wonderful editor Poppy Hampson (with me below, in black and white, for some reason) for all her amazing work on HC.
Sarah Bilney and her team at La Fromagerie did us proud with their customary panache, plying us with bucketsful of prosecco and some delicious nibbles (my favourite was a squidgy hot cheese bun), and a jolly good time was had by all. I am reliably informed that book launches are very like weddings for those at their centre…I wish I could have had the evening several times over, in order to experience it properly. But it did feel wonderful to celebrate the arrival of Hungry City in such a fantastic place and in the company of so many great friends who have contributed so much to the book. The hard work of writing is over – now let the dialogue begin!!
