Home has comforting connotations, for most of us, and for India, it is her happy place. "I love home so much", she tell us, "that sometimes if I have to be away I get homesick in advance." A move to the countryside from London a decade ago was a big move and also a great move that has brought India much joy. "I trample about in boots and muddy trousers, I hardly ever wear makeup, I am outside for most of the day in spring and summer, I know the names of plants and birds (and their songs), I take enormous pleasure in the natural world'', says India. "I live very slowly – at a snail’s pace compared to my London life – and I savour every slow moment."

Here India tells us about the huge honour (and initial horror) of being awarded the responsibility for the reimagining of The Pursuit of Love with Darling; about getting older and a golden era with three grown up children; of loving life in rural Suffolk after her move to the country. And we play favourites (yes, including her beauty products)...

You write on your substack bio, ‘My father was Belgian, my mother is Pakistani and I am more or less culturally English, though not English enough for washing-up bowls or salad cream.’ Please tell us a little about your upbringing and early aspirations - where you lived, what you loved, and what you wanted to be…
I was born in Brussels and lived there until the age of nine, when my mother married Mr. Knight, who is English, and we came to live in London (I continued regularly spending time in Brussels until my father died decades later). I only spoke French at this point, and went to the Lycée in South Kensington, but the English came along pretty quickly – and obviously, I’ve now spent my working life writing in English. The older I get, the more I am conscious of the slight oddity of this. I feel like the French-speaking version of me exists quietly alongside the English-speaking one and is coming slightly more to the fore. I am more or less culturally English – or maybe more culturally a Londoner – but I feel very European too. 

When I was little I wanted to be a translator, largely because I wanted to wear great big headphones and do it in real time, while someone was giving a speech. Then I wanted to be a vet, then a psychiatrist, then a foreign correspondent, then a writer.

A journalist of 30 years, you’ve written book reviews, about food and cooking and of course, beauty and wellness for The Sunday Times et al. What do you love to write about the most?
Everything I truly love to write about - food, books, gardens, interiors, among other things - is on my Substack newsletter. After 30 years writing what other people asked me to write, it feels incredibly liberating and blissful to write exactly what I feel like writing, whenever I feel like doing it, in my completely authentic voice rather than my ‘for the readers’ voice, which is close but not quite the same.

You’re an incredible author - 5 x novelist and written 7 non-fiction books, has there been a favourite?
Darling is my favourite.

We are huge fans of Darling - your wonderful retelling of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love. Can you tell us more about writing this book?
The whole thing was terrifying. Nancy Mitford’s estate asked me to do it, and of course I was thrilled, hugely flattered and beside myself with excitement – The Pursuit of Love is one of my favourite novels. But then it came down to actually sitting down and writing it, and I became paralysed with fear. I thought, what on earth do I think I’m doing even daring to go near this perfect novel? Who do I think I am? For a while I could hear Nancy’s voice very clearly in my head, not saying anything kind. 

This went on for months, and then one day I woke up and knew exactly how I was going to do it. Nancy became quieter, and then she piped down altogether. The nicest thing anyone’s said to me about Darling came from a friend of Debo, the late Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and Nancy’s youngest sister. This person said, ‘Debo would have loved it’. In the event the reviews were wonderful, but I wouldn’t have cared if they’d been awful – ‘Debo would have loved it’ saw me through.

Your brilliant substack, Home, full of regular ideas that improve everyday home life from recipes to lamps, books to quilts and interesting ideas and movements. Please tell us more about this platform and what we can expect… 
it’s me being free to write about anything I want to write about. It’s my absolutely favourite thing – I really love writing my Substack. I wanted to write about all the things that enhance life, or at least my life. The world is gloomy enough – we all need a few extra doses of cheerfulness and I am by nature an enthusiast.

Can you please tell us your three favourite beauty products right now?
They change all the time but currently (in sunny August), iT cosmetics Nude Glow, MAC blush in Gingerly, Jones Road liquid bronzer.

What’s always in your make up bag?
Concealer (I like Laura Mercier and MAC) and Hourglass Airbrush translucent pressed powder. That stuff is miraculous. I also carry a little bottle of my scent about, which is Santal 33 by Le Labo.

Where is your happy place?
Home, always. I love home so much that sometimes if I have to be away I get homesick in advance.

What’s your dream travel itinerary?
The West Coast of Ireland in its entirety. The Amalfi coast wouldn’t kill me, either. Or Rajasthan.

How do you unwind? What’s your favourite thing to do when not ‘writing/working’? 
I love to read and I love to cook. I also really love sleeping – I am very devoted to my bed.

What does wellness mean to you? 
Eating produce that is as local as possible, walking every day (we have three dogs, so that one’s not hard) and therapy once a week.

How does it feel to have (three) grown-up children? What is this chapter all about?
I’m so glad you asked me this. There is an awful lot of moaning about this stage of life – I’m 58. And yes, of course getting older isn’t always a picnic. But there is a magic window when the children have left home and are happy and settled and your parents, if you still have them, are in good health, and you, despite being older, are also in fine fettle and not suffering from any terrible ailments. You are really aware that any of those three ships could capsize at any time. So really this is a golden period, to be grabbed and enjoyed to the full.

Your thoughts on aging?
I feel like with each year that passes I am becoming more essence of myself, and like all the bits of me that I put on when I was young because I thought I had to – to fit in, or to seem more fun, or whatever – have fallen away. Therapy might have something to do with this, but either way – I LOVE it.

What advice would you give women at a crossroads in life and looking to lean into creative pursuits?
Go for it. Do it for yourself. Remember what you really loved doing as a child, and lean right in to that. I think women spend so much of their lives pleasing and caring for other people – there comes a point where it’s time to please and care for yourself.

And finally, your 3 favourite Willow Crossley products from the shop:
The vases - I especially love the Loving Cups and have this one, that genius clear one (which I constantly check for because it’s out of stock) and the little stripy jug.