Jane Linfoot –a consistent favorite of mine, returns to St. Aiden with this release, a story of friendship, family, memories and discovering the meaning of home in
The Little Cornish Kitchen
Clemmie has spent most of her life, since she was five, running from her memories, feelings and friends. Friends that have been in her life forever – from ‘baby bump’ stage to a toddler gym class, she, Plum, Nell and Sophie have been inseparable. Or would have been if Clemmie didn’t make a point to live her life out of a suitcase and rucksack, moving on and away whenever the mood strikes and never sticking in one place. She’s got a fear of commitment, a deep-rooted fear where she’s packed all of her memories, her daring and her ability to plan for more than a week without massive panic attacks taking over. Currently in Paris, she’s been called home to St. Aiden to discuss a bequest – a flat from a grandmother that she’d not thought of in years. The thought of an electric bill and a permanent address has her snippy and anxious to arrange a sale and move on again.
Fortunately for Clemmie, her friends aren’t letting her get away so easily: an event where she and the girls are channeling their mermaid chic for a party for Sophie’s natural cosmetics line, she runs into Charlie: a newbie in town who also happens to be a property developer for a company known for high end homes. Of course, Clemmie has zero interest in sticking about, but Sophie isn’t allowing that. Pushing Clemmie to visit the apartment, and dragging the others in to the hodgepodge colors, quirky décor and beautiful views – all pushing, subtly and not, for their friend to come home. But the building needs repairs, and money quickly becomes the primary reason in Clemmie’s determination to sell. Enter Nell’s Singles Nights and Clemmie learning to bake with the help of a picnic basket full of recipes from Clemmie’s grandmother Laura- recipes that start Clemmie on memory lane, bringing up emotions and feelings she’d run from her entire life. Soon a series of ‘Little Cornish Kitchen” singles nights brings Clemmie, Charlie and the ladies into contact – signaling more for Clemmie than her carefully planned, unplanned life of no commitments.
From the start, Clemmie was intriguing and I was dying to know just why she was so afraid of commitment and so removed from her own emotions. As her story, and her gentle acceptance of both Charlie’s dog and the cat he was taking care of, allowing them access to her food, her home and an opened door to the deck, she starts to find comfort in memories stirred by stories, the apartment and, most of all, the flavors and scents from the cakes and baking scents wafting through the apartment each day. Remembering old favorites, stories and a series of ‘found photographs’ send her on a reluctant journey that forces her to face her issues, questions and direction for her life. Is she really happiest being rootless and not tethered to the ‘expected’ path – or is there something more? A bit slower to develop than others by Linfoot, and while the setting of St. Aiden is familiar from The Brides by the Sea ladies, the story has an appeal that can’t be denied and will burrow into your heart – you want to have the support and friends like Clemmie’s – all tucked away in a tiny, eccentric apartment with gorgeous sea views and a never-ending series of visitors.
Title: The Little Cornish Kitchen
Author: Jane Linfoot
Genre: Contemporary Woman's Fiction, Food / Recipes, Romantic Elements, Setting: Britain
Published by: Harper Impulse
ISBN: 0008260680
Published on: 17 May, 2018
Format:eARC
Source: Author
Pages: 416
Rated:
Heat:
Get Your Copy: Amazon ♦ Barnes&Noble ♦ iTunes ♦ Kobo ♦ IndieBound ♦ Google ‘Beautifully crafted and wrapped in romance’ Heidi Swain
It's time to come home to Cornwall
With an exiting new life in Paris, Clemmie Hamilton isn't looking forward to heading home to the picturesque but sleepy village of St Aidan, Cornwall. However, when she discovers that the cosy apartment by the sea, which her grandmother left to her, is under threat from neighbour and property developer, Charlie Hobson, Clemmie realises she can't abandon her home in its time of need.
With her childhood friends encouraging her, Clemmie decides to turn the apartment into 'The Little Cornish Kitchen' – a boutique pop up pudding club raising money for the repairs to the building in an effort to stop Charlie once and for all. But when Charlie and his easy charm won't seem to go away, everything soon becomes even messier than the state of Clemmie's Cornish kitchen…
A copy of this title was provided via Author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
2 responses to “The Little Cornish Kitchen by Jane Linfoot”
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Thanks so much for reading and for this heartfelt review Gaele, so pleased you enjoyed xx
You are most welcome – I need a little hodgepodge apartment like that – there! 🙂