It’s such a pleasure today to be helping launch the blog tour for The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath: published by One More Chapter on 18th January on all major e-book platforms and in paperback (you’ll find more details here), the audiobook will follow on 15th February. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via Netgalley).
This really was a book that appealed to me from the first moment I read about it, and I was delighted when Rachel’s email dropped into my inbox. Back in 2021, I remember rather enjoying The Dog Sitter by the author’s alter ego Zara Stoneley – I always think of it as “the one when magic happened”, as I started by doubting if the pace and humour was going to entirely work for this old pensioner, but grew to really love it as I became increasingly involved in Becky’s story and so enjoyed the well drawn setting, the central romance and the family drama (you’ll find my full review here). But a change of author name usually means a bit of a change in direction – and everything told me that this book was going to be something rather different…
She’s writing her story one recipe at a time…
‘A delicious story that wraps itself around your heart’ Evie Woods, bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop
It’s been three years, two weeks and one day since Kate Shaw’s life changed forever. Three years, two weeks and one day that Kate has been angry – with herself and life.
But today is different. Different because Kate has finally taken the step she’s been avoiding…back into the kitchen. Now, what begins as a (disastrous) attempt to make pancakes becomes a culinary journey that is not only a love letter to someone so important to her, but also an unexpected means of connection to a community she never knew she had…
My goodness, this was an emotional one – there’s certainly a good measure of grief, loss and heartbreak – but it was also one of the most joyous and uplifting books I’ve read in quite a long time. And while there’s no doubt you’ll be needing the tissues at times, it’s a beautifully told story of intergenerational friendship and support, coming to terms with the mistakes of the past, and with a little gentle romance along the way. Ah yes, and scones – I really have to mention the scones!
Three years after a devastating loss, Kate gives up her job as a teacher and wants to take her life in a different direction – but has no idea what it should be. Standing in the kitchen that had never felt like a place she belonged, and finding herself feeling particularly alone, she tries to make the pancakes that she’s always associated with comfort and love – only for her attempts to turn to disaster. Until she’s interrupted by a knock on the door – to find Charles, elderly and confused (well, perhaps…), who remembers that her home was once a tearoom and is hoping to revisit his fond memories and enjoy a cuppa and a scone.
That encounter proves to be the turning point in Kate’s life. Charles’ wife Mary can’t bake any more but can certainly show Kate how to make best use of her grandmother’s recipe book; neighbour Della loves gardening, and Kate could really do with some help with hers after the years of neglect. And then there’s Jack, newly moved in nearby – but he seems a touch arrogant and standoffish, and really gets her back up on their first unfortunate encounter. But they all have their own sad stories, slowly revealed – and as Kate grows slowly more comfortable in the kitchen, provide the kind of friendship, support and love she’s been lacking for so long in her life.
All the characters in this lovely book are just so beautifully drawn, their stories told from their own perspectives, with a smoothness to every transition that means you hardly notice and are inexorably drawn into their lives. Kate’s deep sense of loss is something you really feel, your heart filling up as she follows her emotional journey and very slowly finds her path to healing. And then there’s Charles and Mary and their enduring lifelong love affair, a source of joy for everyone – and the reasons they each have in their hearts for being grateful for the new friendships being forged. Abandoned by her husband, shared bacon butties pave the way for Della to share her secrets and find the courage to look to the future – with Clint, her wayward new puppy, helping cement her new friendships while creating chaos along the way. And Jack? He has his own reasons for being a little slower to join in, his life having rather fallen apart with the loss of his fame and career having happened so cruelly and unexpectedly.
Emotionally, I thought the whole book was absolutely perfect – yes, there are plenty of tears along the way, but that’s only because you feel so invested in and really care about these very real people, and can’t help hurting when they do. But there was plenty that made me smile too, and it really is a book overflowing with love, a sense of belonging, and real hope for the future – with a quite exceptional level of warmth, as they all face up to their different challenges, but no longer alone. There’s also the loveliest focus on the healing powers of food and people cooking together, with recipes interspersed in the narrative – which might sound strange, but it honestly works so very well. And there’s a lot around memories too – the special ones, the really good times, but also the others laced with guilt or grief as they’re slowly displaced by new ones and the possibility of future happiness.
Just gorgeous in every way – this was a book I so enjoyed, and would very much recommend to others.
About the author
Sue Heath lives in Cheshire, England. When she isn’t working, she can often be found running around agility courses with her spaniel, and in the evenings, she loves to cook and spend time with family and friends.
The Secret Ingredient is an uplifting story that explores how a sense of community, sharing, friendship, love, and a feeling of belonging can help us make sense of life, find comfort, and heal. How we can find our happiness in ordinary things.
Sue has also written fourteen USA Today bestselling romcoms under the pseudonym Zara Stoneley and has sold over half a million copies of her stories worldwide.
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This reminds me that I’ve not read a book by this author for a long time. I began the Tippermere series, which I enjoyed, years ago.
This one really was such a lovely read – go on, give it a try!