Rosemary Davidson was brought up in County Down, Northern Ireland along with her three sisters, many dogs, a pet sheep and several cows and horses. From her seamstress grandmother, she learnt to sew and from her Great Aunt Dolly, to knit and to bake. From her father, she discovered the recipe for itching powder and where to always find tadpoles in Spring and wild strawberries in Summer. And from her sisters, amongst many other skills, the fine art of leg-wrestling. She now lives in London with her daughter Florence, eleven, and son Spike, eight, and works as an editor and translator of children's books.

Sarah Vine was born in Wales and grew up in Italy. As a child she showed very little talent for sporting activities - with the exception of skiing, which mostly entails falling down - and an almost infinite capacity for sitting around reading silly comics, gossiping, trying on her mother's shoes, eating and high theatrics, all of which have stood her in excellent stead in her adult life. She has been a journalist all her working life, and now writes for the Times newspaper. Sarah is married with two children.