This is now the 4th Jo Thomas book I have read as I just love the feel good factor her stories leave you with. She has a way of making you feel like yThis is now the 4th Jo Thomas book I have read as I just love the feel good factor her stories leave you with. She has a way of making you feel like you are right in the place the characters of the story are with sounds and smells and local cuisine that makes me wish I was somewhere sunny at the moment.
This story is about two best friends, Lennie and Zelda who made a pact that if neither of them were married by 40 then they might as well marry each other. An offer comes up from a village in Sicily that needs new residents to rejuvenate it and put it back on the map. Zelda decides to take the leap with Lennie and move out to Citta d'Ora. There is nothing much left for her in England after she sells up all she has and makes the move along with several other hopefuls looking for a new start. However, when they get to their destination things are not quite as rosy as they expect.
If things are going to pan out there, there is a lot of obstacles that everyone will have to overcome and it doesn't help that most of the locals are less than welcoming to the outsiders. To make matters worse (or better) for Zelda she is having serious doubts about marrying Lennie as she keeps having thoughts about the restaurant owner called Luca who has been one of the few residents that has welcomed the new arrivals.
There are descriptions of food and delicious sounding recipes as well as the drink Limoncello which makes me curious to try some! The book is a lovely summer read that leaves you with a glow....more
This is the 3rd Jo Thomas novel I have read and she never fails to deliver. Her books have a nice feel good factor and the characters are attractive bThis is the 3rd Jo Thomas novel I have read and she never fails to deliver. Her books have a nice feel good factor and the characters are attractive but not supermodel attractive like in many books of this genre which gives it a more realistic vibe.
Halley is a courier and on this particular assignment she's delivering custom wedding rings. It all goes down hill for her when she realises she's got the wrong luggage. In a wintry Swedish landscape her options are few. She needs to track down Daniel, the man who has her case and give him his.
She finds a reindeer herder called Bjorn who will help reunite her with her case if she'll help herd his reindeers home. Up to the challenge and desperate to get her case back she does it and enjoys it into the bargain. In the meantime she finally accepts the tragedy of her past and the growing attraction between her and Bjorn.
The setting for the book is change of landscape for the author as the previous books I've read have been set in much warmer locations but this gives it a lovely seasonal theme which feels like it's not just scenery but an integral part of the story....more
Set during WW2 and the years that follow after. The Olivers are a family that come from fairly new money but live in a large house. However, they are Set during WW2 and the years that follow after. The Olivers are a family that come from fairly new money but live in a large house. However, they are largely snubbed by neighbours, especially Lord Frampton. Donald Oliver, the head of the family is desperate for acceptance from the old Earl which he will never get. This turns to bitterness and vengefulness as he gets part of the Earl's estate taken away from him for refusing to do his bit with his farms for the war effort.
Laura Oliver is Donald's only daughter, who he has great plans for, however as Laura grows up she follows her heart and runs away with Giovanni, an Italian ex-prisoner of war. Giovanni and Laura suffer through much as she is cut off from her family. It follows the family much through post-war and food rationing as well as Giovanni's desire to start a restaurant business of his own.
This book would appeal to foodies as well as those who love a good historical yarn set in this time period. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next part of the saga. I found the book very easy to read and become involved with the characters and quite often felt a bit peckish with the food descriptions....more
This was a fun and entertaining read about three women, their ages ranging from late 20's to mid 30's. None of them had been particularly lucky in lovThis was a fun and entertaining read about three women, their ages ranging from late 20's to mid 30's. None of them had been particularly lucky in love but their strong friendship bonded them together. They all live together in a large house that is in the process of being renovated into three separate flats for them.
Catherine, divorced, runs the successful dating website RecycLove. It's a dating site with a difference. You have to sign up with an ex you are on good terms with and assess each other as a potential partner for someone else. Catherine gets thrown a curve ball when her ex-husband sells half the business to his fiancee. Although she is "friends" still with her ex, having to work with his future bride was not in her business plan.
Sarah is the stay at home, obsessed baker of the trio. She is a greetings card designer that works from home. Her friends are worried about her rarely getting out and try to help her make some changes. One of the changes is to sneakily put Sarah's name forward for an audition to the Great British Bakeoff, another is to convince Sarah to sign up to her friend's website, RecycLove. Sarah has plenty of challenges in her life already, with a teenage downs syndrome sister to worry about, dating is the last thing on her mind, or is it?
Rachel is a young architect in her early 30's. She convinces her ex James to sign up to RecycLove with her. They both assess each other and Rachel is surprised that he is so generous with his answers to the questionaire. Her replies on his performance as a boyfriend certainly leave him with food for thought. Rachel and James work together at the same architect firm and are supposed to be collaborating on a major contract together. Due to competitiveness, mainly on Rachel's side, it's not all plain sailing. The fact that Rachel's roommate Sarah seems to be taking an annoying interest in her ex is not helping matters either.
Like I said, it was a fun read and I got through it pretty quickly because it was just so readable and wasn't too heavy although it did touch on dealing with grief as well as disability.
For some strange reason, books labelled as chick-lit for me tend to put me off of reading them. Silly, really as I have read several really good booksFor some strange reason, books labelled as chick-lit for me tend to put me off of reading them. Silly, really as I have read several really good books that way once I have gotten over the label. The Dish is one such book. I read it in a couple of days because it was so readable and hard to put down.
From page one I was drawn into the world of Laura, a divorcee trying to get her life back on track after a messy divorce from her cheating husband as well as coming to terms with guilt she felt over the loss of her mother. A coffee expert, she looks around for a new job and location to save her and takes the first thing that comes along, like a life saver. Working as a PA to a magazine owner it's a step down for her, but she ends up writing their food guide called "The Dish" (anonymously)
Unfortunately or fortunately she has a chance meeting in one of her favourite eateries with the head chef of one of the most pretentious places she has eaten and written a scathing review of the experience. How to tell the man she is falling for fast that she is a food critic? But she is not the only one keeping secrets...
The writing was witty, amusing and the food descriptions will leave you reaching for the biscuit tin, or perhaps something more sophisticated to try, like the mouthwatering pastries and dishes described in the book. Part of the story is told in emails between the characters as well, but not so much as to overwhelm the book and, after all, many of us do conduct relationships via email in this electronic age. As it says on the tin "Sharp Sweet and Satisfying."...more
Artistically beautiful cakes. The book is beautifully presented in hardback, with colour photographs. Photographs so pretty that you almost want to liArtistically beautiful cakes. The book is beautifully presented in hardback, with colour photographs. Photographs so pretty that you almost want to lick the page. This is certainly the book for you if you want to break out from the traditional victoria sponge.
The first few pages are an introduction from the author, along with baking tips and essential ingredients and equipment to get started.
Chapter 1 is all about the cakes, and they look so good. The weights for the ingredients are listed in ounces as well as grammes, which is really helpful as I am old school and was raised on the ounces system. Saves all that fussy conversion! There are some unusual recipes with maybe combinations you haven't tried before, but I intend to try, (like beetroot and parsnip) Well who would have thought that carrots taste good in a cake?
There is a Victoria sandwich cake in the book, but it is nothing like any you would have seen before in your grannie's kitchen. This one is a work of art, but not beyond a mildly experienced baker.
I want to try the chocolate beetroot cake after Christmas is out of the way. I did try one of the recipes in the book. The one that most appealed to me was the Blueberry Cinnamon Swirl cake. It was delicious and not too arduous to make. A simple yet elegant looking cake. The icing recipe is there too, so put your tub of Betty Crocker's frosting away and try making your own for a change.
Chapter 2 is all about flavour and colour with techniques on how to whip cream, use food colouring and melt chocolate.
Chapter 3 is about constructing and levelling cakes so that you get that perfectly even sponge. Further tips on how to use fillings and how to assemble tiered cakes conclude the chapter.
Chapter 4 concentrates on making buttercream icing or ganache. There are tips on how to fill a piping bag and various piping methods.
Chapter 5 is all about the finishing touches to your cake. Using such things as edible fresh flowers, fondant icing and edible glitter for a bit of sparkle.
A wonderful book, one of the best I have seen on the subject and not overwhelmingly worded so you lose the less experienced baker. ...more
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