Cow Girl by Kirsty Eyre #Review #Comedy #WomensFiction

Winner of the Comedy Women in Print Prize
‘Inspired and stylish’ Jenny Eclair
‘Original and witty’ Helen Lederer
Billie fled her Yorkshire upbringing to pursue her dreams of finding a cure for the illness which killed her mother, yet when her father gets sick, she must return home to save the farm.

But the transition from city girl to country lass isn’t easy, not least because leaving London means leaving her relationship with Joely Chevalier, French pharmaceutical femme fatale, just as it was heating up. And when she gets to Yorkshire, Billie’s shocked to discover the family dairy farm is in dire straits.
Battling misogyny, homophobia and the economic turmoil of a dairy crisis, can Billie find a way to save the farm, save the cows and save herself?

Review

I have been very lucky this year to be involved in a small way in the Comedy Women in Fiction Prize and from it I discovered this funny, warm and glorious read. Cow Girl by Kirsty Eyre is simply put, an absolute joy to read. From the first page to the very last it made me laugh, cry and left me feeling utter joy from having been able to spend time with the triumph that is Billie!

This is comedy at it’s very best, because even though it tackles difficult subjects such a homophobia and illness, it does so in such as way that it engaged me not just in general as a reader, but one that struggles with comedy in books. To me it’s use often seems crass or unrefined, but in Cow Girl the humour is warm and uplifting, genuine and never forced and that felt so refreshing. Yes I shed a few tears, but within minutes Kirsty Eyre had once again reduced me to laughter and giggles and it felt good, it felt marvellous and positive. I guess your wondering where the comedy in a young, inteliigient girl looking for love on a dairy farm comes from, it comes from mishaps, missunderstandings and yes, from being the backend of a cow costume during a farming for justice protest march. Trust me, cows on the streets of sheffield equal laughter!

The characterisation is some of the best I have read this year. From Billie herself to her dad, her grandmother and friends, each feels like they could be a member of your family, your friends. They all felt alive, some crazy and zany, but I love crazy and zany and I adored each single one of them. Especially Billie who is looking for love and career progression, but ends up back home running her dads dairy farm and far away from her life in London. She comes across as venerable and lost, but with the help and love of her friends and family, has the chance to find her perfect life. Past girlfriends have not worked out, partly because Billie is fragile in many ways and the joy in this book, comes from the journey she takes to find love and friendship. I just found myself overjoyed in taking the journey with her, she is not only likeable, she is easy to love and I couldn’t help willing her to find herself worthy of devotion and affection. Most of all I wanted her with a passion to finally realise, she could live in the present and not always be trying to fit into other peoples lives, but make one for herself. Her spiited defence of her sexuality in one part of the story had me metaphorically fist pumping the air. I laughed with her and I could have spent so many more hours in her company, her dads, her gran, the vet oh and lets not forget the cows, they are characters in their own right and are rather fabulous. Frankly they rather deserve their own book, because the writer gives each one their own personality and it was joyful, sometimes sad, but always funny and uplifting.

I am sad the book is finished now, that I have read the last page. I want to start again. This book will without doubt be up there on my list of favourite reads of 2020. Because if it can make me smile and laugh right now, for me that makes it special. Those judges of the Comedy Women in Fiction Prize know their stuff, they picked a book worthy of winning any prize.  Please buy Cow Girl, you won’t regret it. Warm, funny and witty from start to end.

Bravo Kirsty Eyre you have written a absoulute joy of a novel.

You can purchase Cow Girl from Amazon and Waterstones.

Why not support your local indie bookshop if you have one, they really need our support and offer the personal touch. Give them a ring or email them, they are treasures we don’t want to lose!

About The Author 

Kirsty Eyre is the winner of the inaugural Comedy Women in Print award (2019). Her debut novel, Cow Girl is out Summer 2020. She loves tea and hates her big toes.

She is threatening to wear a cow onesie in a bid to online launch Cow Girl, her debut novel during lockdown. She sends love and solidarity to everyone around the world. If you’re having a bad day, drink tea and give yourself a break…

Her writing credits include several comedy stage plays receiving great acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Originally from Yorkshire, she now lives in South East London with her partner and two children.

COW GIRL is her debut novel and is out (audio/ eBook/ paperback) on June 25th 2020.

She is currently writing a comic novel about three sisters with Goddesses of Barnsley as the working title

You can follow her on @KirstyJaneEyre on Twitter

 

There’s No Taste Like Home – My Cookbook by John Partridge. Guest Review by Helena Jerrome #GuestReview #JohnPartridge #WinnerOfCelebrityMasterchef #Cookbook

Today I’m delighted to be joined on booksaremycwtches by another talented cook and baker Helena Jerome with a review of There’s No Taste Like Home.

Review

Like so many of us, my life was thrown into confusion in the middle of March. Usually leading a busy life with a full-time office job, frequent theatre trips and social outings, suddenly I was working from home, unable to leave the house to do the things that usually made me smile. But there is one thing that you can do from home that I usually didn’t have the time to do before – experiment with cooking.

John Partridge’s There’s No Taste Like Home was released at the perfect time for me to start flexing my cooking muscles. The book is a treat for the eyes, heart and taste buds, combining vibrant, detailed photographs, John’s personal memoirs on each page and recipes which are a gorgeous blend of home comforts and beautiful flavours.

Having marked up a number of recipes I wanted to try my hand at (my copy is now covered in post-its!) I got stuck in immediately. As someone who previously only cooked rarely, and usually only out of necessity rather than choice, I was surprised at how easy it was to follow the recipes even if they looked complex at first. John talks you through each step and has added handy tips and tricks throughout the book to help those of us who are fairly new to cooking.

Only very basic kitchen tools are required to cook these recipes, and alternative instructions are provided if you don’t have a blender or prefer to get your hands dirty.

The cakes and puddings that I have tried so far have all tasted absolutely divine, from simple brownies to a deluxe sticky toffee cake. The mains are delightfully filling and taste incredible too – John’s apple and mushroom risotto and tomato porridge with spinach and ricotta dumplings have both become fast favourites in my household, being very easy to make after a long day at work but tasting like something you would expect to be served in a restaurant. And I still have so many exciting recipes to try!

There’s No Taste Like Home has reignited a passion for cooking that I lost over a decade ago, at a time when a new hobby was very much needed, and I am eternally grateful for that.

About the author 

John Partridge is an actor, singer, and new author. He was born in Manchester in 1971, went on to train at the Royal Ballet School, Bush Davies, and Doreen Birds. He has appeared in over 18 major West End Musicals including Cats, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Starlight Express, and Tommy. While he played the role of Christian Clarke in BBBC1’s Eastenders for over 5 years.
There’s No Taste Like Home is his first cookbook following his fabulous win of Celebrity MasterChef in 2018. The recipes are inspired by his family and heritage. All the recipes in this book were cooked and photographed in the authors house, his kitchen by the author.

John also regularly shares new recipes and ideas on his twitter @mustbejp and Instagram @johnpartridgecooks if you fancy even more tempting dishes.

 

I Know The Truth by M A Comley #Review #IKnowTheTruth #MAComley #CrimeFiction

What lengths would you go to, to escape a loveless marriage?

She did it, she escaped his clutches.

Now she lives under a new name.

For the past five years, Lucy has lived in fear of her past.
But all that is about to change when Matthew enters her life.

Will she be able to finally trust another man after….?

Which should she listen to, her heart or her head?

As she fights to obtain the happiness she deserves, someone is lurking in the shadows with their own dangerous agenda.

Will they be the one to determine whether she lives or dies?

Review

I Know The Truth by M A Comley is a highly enjoyable and easy to read thriller. Just what I needed at the moment. I flew through it in two days and given my concentration levels at the currently that is a massive compliment to any book.

I loved the way the author built up the tension to a point where you really feared for Lucy’s life and the people she cared about. You could sense the danger and it was built up throughout the novel reaching a crescendo at just the right point. It really felt that Lucy’s hope for a better life, having fled a violent past hung on a knife edge. M A Comely adding in levels of threat from more than one angle to make the net that surrounds Lucy, feels all the more claustrophobic and threatening.  It seems to surround her at every point, not just ghosts from the past bringing nightmares into the present, but from Mathew’s overbearing family.  It worked because Lucy is a strong enough character, determined to fight for her future, even if that means taking on a mother-in-law  who feels no one is good enough for her precious sun and heir.  Your never sure if the threat is paranoia gone overboard, or if this new life she has the chance of is really going to be a dream or nightmare.

Characterise it gives us all the classics of a good thriller. A heroine who’s secrets don’t cower her, but which come dangerously close to destroying her life. She has skeletons in her wardrobe that will shock many, while others might feel they understand. She determined and at the same time insecure enough that you can believe in the reasons she hides from her past. Many women run from pasts they would prefer to forget and for there own safety, but is this the reason Lucy lives under a new name or has she darker secrets to hide. In I Know The Truth M A Comely gives us a lead character that will stretch our compassion to bursting point.

If you are looking for a highly enjoyable, fast paced thriller, than I Know The Truth is a good one to choose.

I would like to thank the author and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. 

You can purchase I Know The Truth from Amazon.

About the author

M A Comley is a KINDLE UNLIMITED ALL-STAR author as well as being a New York Times, USA Today, Amazon Top 20 bestselling author, she has topped the book charts on iBooks as a top 5 bestselling and reached #2 bestselling author on Barnes and Noble. Over two and a half million copies sold world wide. She’s a British author who moved to France in 2002, and that’s when she turned her hobby into a career.

When she’s not writing crime novels as well as caring for her elderly mother, she’s either reading or going on long walks with her rescue pup Labrador, Dex.

Here is a list of her books, Cruel Justice, Impeding Justice, Final Justice, Foul Justice, Guaranteed Justice, Ultimate Justice, Virtual Justice, Hostile Justice, Tortured Justice, Rough Justice, Dubious Justice, Calculated Justice, Twisted Justice, Prime Justice, Heroic Justice, Shameful Justice, Immoral Justice and Overdue Justice. There are several novellas and short stories in the series too.

No Right To Kill, Killer Blow, The Dead Can’t Speak, Deluded and The Murder Pact in the DI Sara Ramsey series.

Her other successful series are: The DI Sally Parker thriller series, which includes WRONG PLACE, NO HIDING PLACE, COLD CASE, Deadly encounter and Lost Innocence

The DI Kayli Bright Trilogy – The Missing Children, Killer on the Run, Hidden Agenda, Murderous Betrayal and Dying Breath.

The Hero series, TORN APART, END RESULT, IN PLAIN SIGHT, DOUBLE JEOPARDY and CRIMINAL ACTIONS.

There are three books in the Intention series, Sole Intention, Grave Intention and Devious Intention.

Plus a couple of standalone novels – EVIL IN DISGUISE and FOREVER WATCHING YOU.
I’ve also penned a cozy mystery Private Investigator series – Murder at the Wedding, Murder at the Hotel and Murder by the Sea.

As well as co-authoring the Deception Series co-authored by fellow NY Times bestselling author, Linda S Prather Clever Deception, Tragic Deception and Sinful Deception.

 

 

Safe by S K Barnett #Review #BlogTour #Thriller #Safe #SKBarnett

YOUR CHILD IS MISSING.

She was only six years old when she disappeared. Posters went up, the police investigated.
But no one could find her.
Now, twelve years later, she’s home.
And knocking at your door.
You’re so happy to see her. But soon you start to wonder why she can’t answer your questions.
Where has she been? How did she find her way home?
And who is she?

Review

Safe by S K Barnett is a superb thriller, with enough twits and turns to keep you guessing from page one to the final nerve wracking final chapters.

The theme of a child going missing is common in the thriller genre, so to stand out from the crowd Safe really needed to up it’s game and it does so with aplomb.  It does it by giving us more than the straight forward theme of, is this young women the child that went missing? Then by adding in layer upon layer of deception, danger and mystery, delivers a first class thriller that everyone should read!

I admit that at first I thought this is alright, I have pretty much guessed the truth, but hey it’s still enjoyable! But S K Bennett was toying with me and while I was sat there feeling smug, unleased a series of arcs within the narrative, that blew the story apart and in doing so wiped that smug look right off my face. I have never been more happy than to admit that I was fooled! It delivered a story that read like a dream, yet at the same time,  thrill after thrill left me a very satisfied reader.  I don’t want to say too much, for fear I might accidently reveal a twist and ruin the book, but I had the metaphorical carpet whipped from underneath me enough times to say with confidence, that Safe delivers on all levels.

I recently read a great blog on the WH Smith site that listed the ten best elements of a thriller and thought it would be fun to check Safe Against them!

Here is the LINK if you want to read it!

It says you need a great story! Well Safe has that, it is positively loaded with feelings dread. Your not sure who is safe and who you can trust!

The opening is not what I would consider action packed, it is a lot more subtle than that, but it sets up the story for the shocking reveals that are all the more affecting for how it plays on a story of loss and a need to closure.  While it certainly delivers on telling us what the protagonist wants, she want to be Safe. 

Does it have a likeable protagonist? Yes, she is not always likeable, but believe me, you come to understand why and her flaws are what make you care about her.  I Desperately wanted her to find a refuge in which she can escape the horrors she has experienced.

S K Barnett gives us a story from more than one point of view and handles it like a real pro. My favourite other than the girl herself, was her confused brother, whose own tortured back story, gives you pause for concern and reason to doubt the whole troubling set up.

Then we have the all important cliff hangers. They are bloody everywhere and it felt like I was sitting on the edge of a cliff waiting for the next chasm to open up in front of me. Safe feels anything but frankly!

A first class villain, oh it has one of those, but they are buried deep in the narrative and your going to have to read on and on until they are truly revealed to you.

Okay character growth is important and it is often missed out of thrillers who favour the wham bam affect, but that often leaves them feeling a bit hollow. So I was delighted that that doesn’t happen in Safe.  It’s not even just the lead character that grows, others do to and in learning more about the past, we as readers see them become richer and more fleshed out.

Safe taught me a lot about the traumatic affects a child going missing has not just on the family, but all those around them. It deals with some difficult themes, but doesn’t overload the reader, keeping the balance between thrill and knowledge in perfect balance.

Then there is the all epic ending! Yep, your okay, it has that, it also has something else, a hope of resolution. To know if the girl in the story gets that, your going to have to read Safe, because this is a thriller and being unpredictable, your never promised the ending you want!

You can purchase Safe from Amazon and Waterstones

Please also consider purchasing from your local indie who need our support more than ever.

About the author 

S. K. Barnett is a pseudonym for a New York Times bestselling author whose previous thriller novel Derailed was turned into a major motion picture in 2005 featuring Jennifer Anniston and Clive Owen. He lives in New York State with his family.

 

 

 

My Favourite British Classical Novels ~ Part 1 #FavouriteBritishClassicalNovels.

I don’t claim to be a massive reader of the classics, but I have over the years read many that I have loved. I love Jane Austen, I adore George Elliott. But I also consider books such as The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy as classics!

I wonder what books from the current cohort of writers will go on to be considered as classics, or if this title has been replaced by the modern phrase ‘must read”?

I have broken this up into two posts of ten each to make it feel less cluttered!

1 My heart will I admit forever belong to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

2 As it will to Elizabeth Gaskill’s magnificent North and South.

3 I loved Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen long before Collin Firth strode out of the lake in the BBC adaption of this classic novel. Though I admit he did a fine job of it and no one has bettered his splendid performance as Mr Darcy as far as I am concerned.

4 I can’t help but include Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.  I love it without reservation and could read it over and over.  The late Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Colonel Brandon is right up there with Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr Darcy.

5 The Jane Austen love fest continues with Emma. I have yet to see a TV adaption I am completely happy with, though I admit I have not watched the newest one,but the book never disappoints.

6 I simply can’t miss of Austen’s Persuasion from this list.

7 I’m sorry, it’s another Austen novel up next, Northanger Abbey. Okay I’m not really sorry and yes I have been to the museum in Bath!

8 Next we return to a much loved childhood read The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett. 

9 Another much loved read as a teenager was The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien 

10 I feel I can’t include The Hobbit without including another fantasy classic The Lord of The Rings Trilogy.

 

All of these books can of course by bought from Amazon and Waterstones, but why not consider ordering books you want to read from your local Indie bookshop.

 

 

 

 

Slatehead by Peter Goulding #Review #Slatehead #PeterGoulding #NewWelshRarebyte

Bobby Drury left Liverpool after O-levels, knowing he had f***ed them up. Free now, he hitched to Snowdonia. His mum came crying on the phone, ‘You’ve failed them all.’ Bobby knew that. ‘No, Mum, I’ve led Vector.’ This was Thatcher’s lost generation. The slate quarries were walking distance; they’d have a smoke, a party in an abandoned hut, try and climb something. A small culture emerged of punks, nutters, artists and petty thieves, crawling up abandoned rock, then heading to the disco at the Dolbadarn. These were the Slateheads.
The people in these interleaving worlds – the punk dole dropout star- climbers; the Victorian quarrymen pioneers; the Welsh-speaking grandson of a ropeman, abseiling in to bolt sport climbs like Orangutang Overhang in the Noughties, Lee and his mates slogging west today – all are polished like nuggets in this 360° view over patience, pride, respect, thrill, movement, the competing claims of home and agency, and above all, a belief in second chances.

Review

I am the first to admit, I am not a climber and that I have no interest in climbing, but there was something about this book that called to me when I was asked if I would consider reviewing it as part of a blog tour! It was the sense of passion and the history behind this world that was evident from the blurb.

It’s a book that’s filled with passion for a subject I knew little about and I enjoyed the way the writer brought his subject to life, because it made it very accessible to readers just like me. The way he describes the landscape, the grey of the slate, creates a backdrop which is incredibly vivid.  I never thought of slate mines having any intrinsic beauty, yet they do, reflecting it’s industrial past. It has man made sheer drops, hidden tunnels and intricate fissures. In Slatehead Peter Goulding portrays a landscape that having lost its economic centre, becomes a backdrop for a community of climbers. These men and women recognise the challengers it poses, but most of all, that it is not a forgotten place, but the heart of a community and a place with a troubled past, made over for a more positive future.

What also makes this book fascinating is the way we are introduced the backgrounds of the climbers, from dole dropouts, artists and aspiring climbing legends. They are a fascinating bunch of people to read about, having developed their own culture from their seemingly disparate backgrounds. Many also gave names to their favourite climbs within the quarries, reflecting their own influences and often lively sense of humour. It brings you closer to them, people braver than I could ever be. Their love of climbing shines out through the writing, of friendships formed through a common love affair with environment that tested their love of climbing.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. 

You can purchase this book from Amazon as a paperback and as an ebook and Waterstones, or why not contact your local indie bookshop and order it from them.

About the author

Peter Goulding is a climber and writer from the north of England. He was born in Liverpool in 1978, lived in County Durham for years, and currently lives with his partner and son in rural Norfolk. He works at Center Parcs as an instructor, and goes climbing to north Wales and the Peak District as often as he can. In 2019, he won the New Welsh Writing Awards: Rheidol Prize for Writing with a Welsh Theme or Setting.

You can follow the author on Twitter @flatlandclimber

 

 

Felix the Fox and his Awesome Odd Socks by Katie Dodd. #Review #FelixtheFoxandhisAwesomeOddSocks #KatieDodd

Felix The Fox And His Awesome Odd socks is about a yellow fox who wears square glasses and rocks odd socks!
Felix has been made to believe that this isn’t how foxes should be, but he desperately wants to fit in and be the same as everyone else.
It is not until he meets a bird with a broken wing and one blue eye, that he realises how differences do not make him any less awesome!
With stress and mental health issues being on the rise in younger children raising issues of feeling different or inferior at a young age are vital to enable these feelings to be spoken about and processed. Through Felix, Katie hopes to promote self-acceptance and awareness, and acceptance of diversity, as well as allowing children to be able to recognise their own feelings of not fitting in or feeling different, and creating conversation to enable them to speak up, which is vital for positive mental health.

Review

Felix The Fox And His Awesome Odd Socks is a charming read, a gentle story about how it is okay to be you! That celebrating difference is something we should all embrace, for to all be the same would make the world around us a sadder place.

The story starts with Felix feeling lonely and sad because he is yellow, wears odd socks and glasses, being different leaves him feeling excluded and so he wanders off for a walk. He just wants to fit in with his sisters and brothers, but his differences mark him out, leaving him feeling lost, until he meets a little blue bird who like him is different. There starts his journey to accepting all the things that make him unique and special, opening up to how he feels, to his family and finding that being him is okay.

This is all told through a charming story, with bright and beautiful, eye-catching illustrations.  The journey Felix takes is told in an easily accessible style, that a child will find simple to follow and learn from. Not just for those who feel excluded, but all children who learn through reading about how their actions can affect others.  It is saying to them it is okay to diverge from accepted norms, that being kind is good. Katie Dodd through her writing shows them that they should celebrate difference, from the colour of a persons skin, to how they dress and the fact that some people need to wear glasses, while others a hearing aid to hear.  I myself was picked on for wearing glasses and so I felt a connection with the story and I think many children reading Felix The Fox and his Awesome Odd Socks will to. So if it can make a difference to their lives that would be very special indeed.

It does all this in a way children can understand and within a story that takes a very important subject and gives it a very postive outcome.

It is an absolute joy to find any book that will help children accept each other for all the things that make them an individual. The world needs that right now, more than ever and finding Felix the Fox and his Awesome Odd Socks was a joy to be celebrated.

You can purchase Felix the Fox and his Awesome Odd Socks from Amazon

It can also be purchase directly from the publisher Beercott Books

Why not also consider ordering it from your local indie bookshop, many of whom have worked hard to keep usconnected to the world of reading during the current crisis.

About the author 

Katie is an ETSY shop owner and a mental health campaigner who is passionate about raising awareness on mental health issues and challenging stigma. She makes a lot of items around mental health and positivity with the aim to make people smile and through her campaigning she works hard to put together projects locally to create conversation around mental health and raise awareness which have been picked up by the media and shared via various platforms, radio and media.

Katie has battled mental illness for most of her life and aims to offer hope and inspiration to others to show that things can get better and has spoken publicly about her own journey including on the Victoria Derbyshire Show, radio stations, as part of the lloyds bank #GetTheInsideOut campaign and on her own social media channels, website and via her own memoir In Bloom Not Broken which is a book of her own journey through mental illness.

She is passionate about spreading a positive message to children that promotes self acceptance and acceptance of others regardless of differences and to introduce children to positive mental health from a young age.

Follow Katie:
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/littlehappygiftshop
Twitter: @KatieMaylea85
Instagram: @katie_maylea_mental_health
Www.mentalhealthjourney.co.uk
http://www.littlehappythoughts.com

There’s No Taste Like Home by John Partridge. Guest Review by Jennifer Fleming #GuestReview #TheresNoTasteLikeHome #JohnPartridge

There’s No Taste Like Home tells the remarkable story of John’s life in food and his emotional journey of grief and recovery through cooking, with every dish inspired by a personal memory, and each punctuated with stunning photography. It is cookbook with real difference and emotion – born out of his winning MasterChef menu that was inspired by his mother who he had recently lost to Alzheimer’s.
During the year leading up the MasterChef final John learnt to reconnect with his past, to grieve and to heal through cooking. There’s No Taste Like Home is a collection of heart-warming, fuss-free and budget-conscious recipes that each promise to deliver a simultaneous sense of nostalgia and comfort. From easy Breakfast Doughnuts to fun Fish & Chip Tacos to a showstopping Black Forest Gateaux there really is something to satisfy every palette and suit all occasions no matter your skillset or budget.
John has created this wonderful collection of recipes, drawing on all his favourite memories of food, menus and cooking, adding his own unique and creative twist to each dish.

Today I’m delighted to be joined on booksaremycwtches by another talented cook and baker Jennifer Fleming with a review of There’s No Taste Like Home.

Review

As a big fan of 2018 Celebrity Masterchef winner John Partridge, I jumped at the chance to grab his cookbook. It came at the perfect time as well – at the beginning of quarantine, when I had little to do to pass the time. What better reason to try out a few recipes?

The book itself is filled with beautiful vibrant  pictures, and each recipe comes with an anecdote from John’s life, covering his childhood, family life, work, holidays… each dish has a purpose and a place in the book. Even if you didn’t cook, the book reads as an engaging food-themed autobiography.

As for the recipes themselves, there’s a lot of range: dishes of various difficulties and prep time, and accounts for varying tastes as well. There’s bound to be something to suit you within the pages! There was for me: as someone who likes the process of cooking, but is a bit of a fusspot and has limits in terms of equipment, I managed to find quite a few things to try for myself.

One dish I made at the weekend was the carrot cake. The instructions are simple, friendly and easy to follow, and different methods and tips touched on so you do what works for you. And the result definitely worked for me!

I also gave the breakfast doughnuts a go – being a bit of a novice in the kitchen, I had no idea it was so easy to make doughnuts in the comfort of your own home. The buttermilk pancakes were a hit; and the rice pudding was on another level!

The book is just really versatile – aimed at those who can cook and those who can’t; those who want insights into John’s life and those who don’t. But whatever the reason you buy the book, you’ll likely end up getting things you didn’t expect out of it. It’s a wonderful autobio-picture-cookbook!

You can buy this superb cook book from Amazon, Waterstones and also WHSmith.

Why not also consider ordering it from your favourite Indie bookshops, all of whom need our support, especially at the moment.

About the author
John Partridge is an actor, singer, and new author. He was born in Manchester in 1971, went on to train at the Royal Ballet School, Bush Davies, and Doreen Birds. He has appeared in over 18 major West End Musicals including Cats, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Starlight Express, and Tommy. While he played the role of Christian Clarke in BBBC1’s Eastenders for over 5 years.
There’s No Taste Like Home is his first cookbook following his fabulous win of Celebrity MasterChef in 2018. The recipes are inspired by his family and heritage. All the recipes in this book were cooked and photographed in the authors house, his kitchen by the author.

John also regularly shares new recipes and ideas on his twitter @mustbejp and Instagram @johnpartridgecooks if you fancy even more tempting dishes.

There’s No Place Like Home by John Partridge. Guest Review by Jenny Jakeways. #Cookbook #GuestReview #TheresNoTasteLikeHome #JohnPartridge

There’s No Taste Like Home tells the remarkable story of John’s life in food and his emotional journey of grief and recovery through cooking, with every dish inspired by a personal memory, and each punctuated with stunning photography. It is cookbook with real difference and emotion – born out of his winning MasterChef menu that was inspired by his mother who he had recently lost to Alzheimer’s.
During the year leading up the MasterChef final John learnt to reconnect with his past, to grieve and to heal through cooking. There’s No Taste Like Home is a collection of heart-warming, fuss-free and budget-conscious recipes that each promise to deliver a simultaneous sense of nostalgia and comfort. From easy Breakfast Doughnuts to fun Fish & Chip Tacos to a showstopping Black Forest Gateaux there really is something to satisfy every palette and suit all occasions no matter your skillset or budget.
John has created this wonderful collection of recipes, drawing on all his favourite memories of food, menus and cooking, adding his own unique and creative twist to each dish.

Today I’m delighted to be joined on booksaremycwtches by another talented cook and baker Jenny with a review of There’s No Taste Like Home.

Review

A wonderful book! Beautiful inside and out, this book is full of warmth, honesty, deliciously-tempting cooking and baking, and such personal stories. It creates the most heartfelt and tempting book you can find! It is packed full of dishes that are fresh, nostalgic, comforting, exciting and inspiring. The recipes are interwoven with wonderful storytelling of family and food. It is a pleasure to read, cook and learn from, with brilliant results from the recipes.

So far I’ve tried a variety of recipes including his Masterchef-winning Custard Tart (wow!), the delicious and deservedly-titled ‘Tsouras family favourite’ Carrot Cake, a show-stopping Sticky Toffee Cake, and on the savoury side, a beautifully tasty Butternut Squash, Goats Cheese and Caramelised Onion Tart, the famously comforting, lovely Cheese and Onion Pie, a richly-flavoursome Tomato Porridge, and more. I have learnt with each recipe, tried new techniques, made things I never thought I would, and have had lovely results.

The recipes are clever, reassuring, enticing and accessible, with beautiful photography, dazzles of colour, and a lovely sense of humour too. The personal stories and family memories that accompany each recipe really make this book stand apart too. Written from the heart, this cookbook and food memoir is packed full of emotion and temptation, and is highly recommended, try it now!

You can buy this superb cook book from Amazon, Waterstones and also WHSmith.

Why not also consider ordering it from your favourite Indie bookshops, all of whom need our support, especially at the moment.

About the author
John Partridge is an actor, singer, and new author. He was born in Manchester in 1971, went on to train at the Royal Ballet School, Bush Davies, and Doreen Birds. He has appeared in over 18 major West End Musicals including Cats, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Starlight Express, and Tommy. While he played the role of Christian Clarke in BBBC1’s Eastenders for over 5 years.
There’s No Taste Like Home is his first cookbook following his fabulous win of Celebrity MasterChef in 2018. The recipes are inspired by his family and heritage. All the recipes in this book were cooked and photographed in the authors house, his kitchen by the author.

John also regularly shares new recipes and ideas on his twitter @mustbejp and Instagram @johnpartridgecooks if you fancy even more tempting dishes.

 

The Worm and The Bird by Coralie Bickford-Smith. Book Covers As Art. #BookCoversAsWorksOfArt

A new, beautifully illustrated picture book from the bestselling author of The Fox and the Star, winner of Waterstones Book of the Year 2015.
Deep below the earth, Worm dreams of having more space. There’s not much room down there.
Above, Bird waits, through sun and rain and wind.
As the day goes on, will they both find what they are looking for?
From the author of The Fox and the Star, this is a book about searching and hoping, and how the smallest moment can be beautiful.

It is a simple fact that I love the cover as much as I am infatuated with the whole book. Here we have a story of simplicity and beauty combined with illustrations throughout that celebrates the magic of illustrated books.  As children we loved them and The Worm And The Bird and The Fox and The Star gives us back the magic of books with pictures that combined with words, told stories that as a child began my love of reading.

 

I can’t wait for the author’s third book to be realised, because it will definitely be added to my collection.

 

 

You can order the author’s books from Amazon and Waterstones or why not speak to your local indie, many of whom are still posting out books. They are the stalwarts of the book industry and they need our support more than ever!

About the author 

Coralie Bickford-Smith is one of the most renowned designers in the publishing industry, especially recognized and celebrated for her illustrated covers of Penguin’s clothbound classics. Her first book, The Fox and the Star, was named Waterstones Book of the Year and as one of Time Out’s 100 Children’s Books of All Time. Her design work has been featured in numerous publications, including the New York Times and the Guardian.

Her third book, The Song of the Tree, is a lyrical, heart-warming new tale about a Bird that loves to sing in the towering tree at the heart of the jungle. It feels like home. When the season changes she must say goodbye, but she isn’t ready to let go. As she listens to the other animals, Bird learns to sing a new song.