Years ago I was half listening to the radio, and found myself enjoying hugely an interview with a posh sounding woman. She was a delight – funny, irreverent and inspiring. I had weird mixed feelings then when it came to an end and I found out it was Jilly Cooper.

I have a guilty literary secret. I’ve never read any of her books. I was listening to John Peel in my misspent youth, not reading racy novels, but the outpouring of secret Jilly Love greeting her latest book has made me resolve to get hold one of the classics – Rivals or Riders I believe – and make up for lost time.

Picture: James Merrell

Before that though, let’s have a look at her classic style in these shots of her at home, deconstruct it, and reduce it to five essential buys:

1. Posh person’s sofa. In an impractical shade that the dogs are just going to play havoc with.

2. 100s of random wonky paintings. She says of buying her first painting, ‘I was at an art exhibition party on a barge, got pissed, as one does, and saw this olive-green painting of what looked like two hedgehogs pursuing each other. I wrote a cheque for £15 for it. The next morning I woke up pouring with sweat, thinking, Jesus, that’s all the money we had to live on for the next month at least – I was on £6 a week then.’

3. A tapestry rug. Really ties a room together.

4. A dog bed. A right old revolting one you’d buy from the back of The Radio Times. None of your luxury leather or bespoke Marimekko ones thanks.

5. A bust of oneself! What else?