Today, I am part of the blog tour for The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan. Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and PanMacMillan Books for the copy of the book to take part.
‘From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir comes an unforgettable story inspired by the true events of a BBC-sponsored wartime cooking competition.’
Two years into the Second World War, and German U-boats are frequently disrupting Britain’s supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio programme called The Kitchen Front launches a new cooking contest – and the grand prize is a job as the programme’s first-ever female co-host.
For young widow Audrey, winning the competition could be a chance to pay off her husband’s debts and keep a roof over her children’s heads. However, her estranged sister, Gwendoline, is equally set on success even if her own kitchen maid, Nell, is competing against her. And then there is Zelda, a London-trained chef desperate to succeed in a male-dominated profession – and harbouring a secret that will change everything . . .
A book that is set in the Second World War. The BBC had a cookery radio programme called The Kitchen Front. This was to help women try to stretch their food rations at the time. They launch a cooking contest with the prize being the shows first ever female co-host.
We follow four women who all enter to try to win the job. Audrey is a young widow with three young children, her sister Gwendoline, Nell, who is the kitchen maid for Gwendoline and Zelda, a single woman who is a chef. These four womens lives become more entwined as the story moves forward.
They begin to grow closer, and friendships develop as they all begin to see what each other are dealing with and realise they are better as a group than alone.
A heartwarming and such an uplifting read. The actual recipes from that time are included throughout the book, which I loved reading through. This brings more authenticity to this richly detailed historical novel.
The characters are all determined, strong women who are believable, flawed, and truly human. Audrey, with her children and her determination to repay her husband’s debts, tugged on my heartstrings immediately. All of these women have something that makes you want to cheer them on to the end.
Jennifer Ryan has clearly done masses of research to make this a story that takes you right back to the time of war and rationing. The days when ‘make do and mend’ was all anyone could do from any walk of life. Food was precious, and Jennifer has shown just how precious.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I will be looking for more of her books in the future.
About the Author
Jennifer Ryan is the author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. She lives in Ireland with her husband and two children. Originally from Kent and then London, she was previously a non-fiction book editor. Follow @JenniferiRyan on Twitter
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 