Fragrance and Fortnum’s

The other week, I met my friend Marie Helvin at the Jasmine Awards where she was presenting an award. The Jasmine Awards recognise excellence in the Beauty Journalism and the event took place at the BAFTA building on Piccadilly.

Marie Helvin presenting award at the Jasmine Awards for Beauty Journalism

A number of the awards are for writing about fragrance and scent. Writing about scent is not as easy as you might think. I know from my limited experience of writing about English Eccentrics’ scented candles that is almost impossible to describe the rich, evocative qualities of each one.

I also find it hard to explain to my perfumier what I like or dislike in a scent, words seem inadequate and I marvel at how the journalists write so well in this rather abstract area. Scent hits the brain in a very fundamental zone: triggering the subconscious into recalling some unexpected memories.

After Marie gave her award, we went to Fortnum’s for coffee and admired the recently refurbished dining room. We drooled over the gorgeous food hall downstairs and bought some Easter Eggs in the chocolate hall before walking along to the Wolseley for a lovely lunch.

Later that week we enjoyed a quiet dinner in a tiny, relaxed Japanese restaurant in Haverstock Hill with writer Anthony Horowitz and his wife the producer Jill Green. Anthony was appearing on Newsnight Review the following evening. We tried to persuade him to say ‘I couldn’t disagree more’ to everything anyone else said, but unfortunately he honestly held his own opinions!

Anthony Horowitz and wife Jill Green at dinner