A Russian friend offered up his home, we invited some interested parties and made a themed buffet to soak up the vodka shots.

Menu

• Caviar buterbrodi (open sandwiches)
• Semi-salted Russian cucumbers
• Sprats and real caraway black Russian bread
• Classic Stolichni Salad (a twist on potato salad)

This was followed by my book talk.

My Soviet Kitchen in Four Objects

I introduced the four objects and located them in the book:

1. A samovar - traditional Russian tea urn, which represents the Russian kitchen.
2. An Uzbek pilaf plate - a huge, colourful pottery plate, which Uzbeks serve their national dish on. I read an extract where heroine Ivy comes face to face with a steaming mountain of Uzbek pilaf at an open-air wedding.
3. A Vobla - this is a Russian dried, salted fish - a delicacy with beer, which Ivy first meets in an Estonian sauna.
4. A Georgian wine horn - Ivy sees how this works for real at a Georgian feast table.