A necessity: My laptop. I tend to do rather a lot of things at the same time, so my novels seem to get written on planes, trains and even in the back of taxis. Wherever I go, the laptop goes too.

A luxury: A peppermill. Some might not view it as a luxury, but as far as I'm concerned, it is. I always have a peppermill in the bottom of my handbag; you've no idea how much a bit of pepper can improve appalling food. Even the most boring sandwhich can taste quite good with enough pepper.

A lucky charm: A corkscrew. Just as some people take an umbrella to guard against bad weather, I take a corkscrew because I'm absolutely terrified about going on a picnic and not being able to open a bottle of wine.

If only: A private plane. I was on a judging panel recently, and we went to three cities in one day on a plane. It was just bliss: no passports; no checking in; no crowds, no duty free shops. I can't stand airports where you can't see the departure gate for shops.