Lady Glenconner's Picnic Papers

'Full of delightful stories...a wonderful insight into the British obsession with al fresco eating' - Travel Gourmet From the peaks of the Himalayas to the historic grounds of Hampton Court, there's always a perfect spot for a picnic! Anne Glenconner invites both old friends and new acquaintances to join her in The Picnic Papers. Featuring contributions from Bryan Adams, Graham Norton, Lorraine, Rupert Everett, Tina Brown, Freya Stark and many more, they explore the curious British obsession with dining alfresco, despite our famously unpredictable weather. Picnics, it turns out, spark strong opinions. HRH Princess Margaret insisted on having hers at a proper table, while the indefatigable John Julius Norwich enjoyed 147 picnics over seven weeks in the Sahara. In stark contrast, writer James Lees-Milne simply loathed them. Brimming with extraordinary tales and a few nostalgic recipes (though this is not a recipe book!) Lady Glenconner's The Picnic Papers is an invitation to a delightful feast of memories and culinary delights.

Lady Glenconner was born Lady Anne Coke in 1932, the eldest daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, and grew up in their ancestral estate at Holkham Hall in Norfolk. A Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation, she married Lord Glenconner in 1956. They had 5 children together of whom 3 survive. In 1958 she and her husband began to transform the island of Mustique into a paradise for the rich and famous. They granted a plot of land to Princess Margaret who built her favourite home there. She was appointed Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret in 1971 and kept this role - accompanying her on many state occasions and foreign tours - until her death in 2002. Lord Glenconner died in 2010, leaving everything in his will to his former employee. Her bestselling memoir Lady in Waiting was published in 2019, and she has written bestselling fiction. She now lives in a farmhouse near Kings Lynn in Norfolk.