Saturday 20 January 2024

Gareth Bacon MP, on behalf of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London is delighted to announce that The Society’s Seventy Second Annual Dinner will be held in the Members’ Dining Room at the House of Commons, London, on Saturday 20 January 2024, at 6.30 for 7.30 pm.

The title assigned to this year’s function is THE MONGOOSE MUNCH. We are much indebted to Gareth Bacon MP, who has kindly agreed to act as our sponsor as a sitting Member of Parliament, a requirement for all functions held in this unique venue. We look forward to welcoming both him and many of our Honorary Members, as well as members of the Society from all over the world.

The decision of the House of Commons is that the seating capacity of the Members’ Dining Room shall be limited and has restricted our numbers to 140.  We know that there is significant interest from our members in attending this event and it is highly likely we will be oversubscribed. Members may only invite one guest each. If the Dinner is oversubscribed, a ballot will be held immediately after the closing date for applications, which is Saturday 23 December. If the House of Commons relax their stance on numbers, we will keep our members advised of the position.

The charge for the evening will be £125.00 per head, inclusive of everything except drinks which must be paid for individually on the night. Please note that if you pay for the Dinner but are not successful in the ballot you will be refunded. Successful payment is not a guarantee of a place at the Dinner. Please book via the website if at all possible.  Payment in sterling only please.

Our guest speaker is Vaseem Khan who was elected Chair of the Crime Writers Association in May 2023 and is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India, the Baby Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai and the Malabar House historical crime novels set in 1950s Bombay. His first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020, and has been translated into 17 languages. The second in the series won the Shamus Award in the US. In 2018, he was awarded the Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Award for Literature.  In 2021, Midnight at Malabar House won the Crime Writers Association Historical Dagger.

When not penning his mysteries, Vaseem works at the Department of Security and Crime Science at University College London, The Department of Crime Science provides an approach to crime prevention, reduction and detection devoted specifically to reducing crime and other risks to personal and national security. The Department attempts to use science from a range of disciplines – both engineering sciences and social sciences looking at issues such as new forensic science techniques and developing the next generation of cyber-security measures. The Department examines patterns in crime and security threats and finds practical methods to disrupt these patterns.

Our Society might consider him to be an interesting mix of the literary agent, the consulting detective and the Professor.

The menu for the Dinner is as follows:-

• Roasted shallot ‘agrodolce’ and Ragstone goat cheese tart, wilted kale, raisin, and chilli dressing
• Seared Barbary duck, caramelised conference pear, and Verdant London gin sauce, Sage Derby flavoured potato dauphinois, carrot purée, crispy kale
• Vanilla pannacotta, with roasted spice plums, burnt apple puree gingerbread crumble
• Coffee and petits fours

Vegetarian alternatives can be provided.  Please advise any dietary requirements when booking.

Copies of the House of Commons wine list will be sent to all successful applicants so that they can order in advance: we have found that this gives everyone more time to mingle with friends in the bar beforehand – although you will be able to place an order on the night if you prefer.

The Dinner is a formal occasion and it is customary for gentlemen to wear dinner jackets (black tie) and for ladies to wear evening dress (short or long) but this is not obligatory. Visitors from overseas in particular may not wish to bring dress clothes for only one evening and we should like to assure them that dark lounge suits and cocktail frocks are equally suitable.

Security at the House of Commons is necessarily strict, and admission will be by formal invitation only: for this reason we need to know the full name of your guest if you are bringing one. Successful applicants will receive personalised invitations which will have to be produced to the police on the night in order to gain entrance to the building. The House has agreed that we can use electronic invitations for the Annual Dinner.  In consequence, we will forward the invitations by email, so parties can either print them off to produce them on the day or use an electronic version.  Individual invitations, for each diner, will be forwarded by email to the parties who are successful in booking.  If the booking is for two, two invitations will be sent.  In your booking please give an email address to which the email should be sent to ensure safe receipt of the invitation. If an applicant does not have an email address, paper invitations will be sent by post.

• On the night you will also need to bring photo ID such as a passport or photo driving licence.
• Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is not permitted in any rooms, including the pre-prandial bar and the Dining Room itself.
• Please check UK COVID guidance before booking and attending the event.
• The House only accepts contactless payments for drinks on the night.

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