My one line review of The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan in my last newsletter (when I had just started) was simply “everything I love, but in book form”. Now that I have finished the book I can confidently stand by that opinion. I loved this book.

This book is written with so much foodish flair and thorough research into food history that I simply couldn’t put it down.

Here are the three things I loved:

1 – A deep love of cookery

Ryan wrote with a deep appreciation of the cooking process. I don’t know if Ryan is a cook herself, but kind of like the way Jon Favreau learned to cook from chef Roy Choi to get the cooking scenes just right in his movie Chef, Ryan writes clarity and authenticity about the process. The book takes you right into the kitchen and involves you in the cooking process for each of the characters.

2 – Compelling characters who I immediately fell for

Strong female friendships are at the heart of this book. My copy of this book has a quote from Cathy Kelly blazoned across the front that says “the great British bake off set in World War II”. She described it as “a warm hug of a novel”. I actually can’t think of a better way to say it. I loved the people in it and the way their relationships developed.

3 – The recipes

I am a sucker for a book that uses recipes to augment the rest of the content. This book does that so well, with modern, cookable recipes interspersed throughout. You can cook your own version of every dish in the book, from spam and wood pigeon pie to chicken cacciatore, fruit scones or even a flourless chocolate cake.

Romance Rating: This book certainly pulled at my heart, but romance wasn’t a big part of it. It gets 3 out of 5 love hearts for the sweet romance between a maid and an Italian POW.

I’m excited to give away this book in my March 2022 newsletter, so sign up below if you’d like to be in the running!