War time efforts!

The Kitchen Front: A Novel by Jennifer Ryan        

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jennifer Ryan has fast become one of my fav. authors. I loved ‘The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir’, was glued to ‘The Spies of Shilling Lane’ and am buoyed by ‘The Kitchen Front.’

Taking place during WW2 (1942) in a typical English village, Fenley Village, it’s the story of four women and their quest to become more, albeit from a very different starting point. All have some sort of tragedy or story behind them. That in itself provides the determination they must bring to go forward. Two of the women are sisters at odds with each other, one a kitchen maid, the fourth a Cordon Bleu Chef.

They all enter a cooking contest with the BBC as part of the Ministry of Food’s war efforts around rationing, food shortages and how to use what was available to make delicious and nutritious meals, including the American addition—Spam! The winner will become a co-presenter of the radio show, ‘The Kitchen Front.’

Interspersed through the chapters are various recipes the contestants made over the weeks.

As the story progresses, the lives of these four women, their struggles unfold. We come to understand what drives them, their triumphs, their hurts and their dreams. Such a wonderful story of community, of family, of loss, of hope and friendship. Think a little bit of Foyle’s War and Home Fires.

I know there's been quite a stories using cookery books and spies during WW2 lately, but this is much more of life on the Homefront, sacrifices made, and the stories of those anchoring and maintaining the faith, committed to the war effort during these dreadful times.

I loved this! Very special!

A Random House - Ballantine ARC via NetGalley