"The Kitchen Front" by Jennifer Ryan is a perfect match to the afternoon tea. It takes us back to England during the World War II. While bombs are flying in the sky, housewives have to survive with few food products. Due to the limited import, the government initiates food rationing for every household. Meanwhile the BBC radio starts a competition to find the best female presenter to assist the main host of the program with recipes and ideas how to utilize in the best way the available food products.

This is where we meet the four main characters Audrey is a widow and a mother of three children. Her sister, Lady Gwendoline, is living in the high society thanks to her marriage to a wealthy businessman. Zelda is an ambitious chef who finds herself pregnant and unmarried. Nell is an orphaned and shy kitchen maid who has talents but very little faith in herself.

The four ladies enter the culinary competition with the idea to win and find their place in a man's world, but they discover that friendship happens unexpectedly and sometimes it's the only thing you can depend on in difficult times.

I liked how every character had a voice of their own. Each of the ladies had a story that developed and showed their weaknesses, fears and personal tragedies. I wasn't aware of the food rationing in England during the WWII and I learned a lot about the culinary habits of the people at that time. The recipes that we find throughout the book are an additional bonus for every culinary enthusiast. I hope we'll have "The Kitchen Front" translated in Bulgarian soon because it's a heartwarming story that makes you feel good, just like tea and cookies do on a cold winter day.

A highly recommended book, I loved it. It is set in war time when rationing was part of everyday life and food sometimes hard to come by.
Audrey is a war widow with three young children and finding it hard to cope with trying to balance the books by baking for a living whilst bringing up her children and keeping her house liveable. War time brought out both the best and worst in some people as she is to discover. Jennifer has written a wonderful account of how close friendships are important to provide support when times are hard. It was lovely to see the contents of the recipes that the contestants used in the cooking competition Ambrose set up.

I absolutely loved Jennifer Ryan’s “The Chilbury Ladies Choir”, so I had high hopes for ”The Kitchen Front”. Sadly I didn’t enjoy it as much, I found it interesting rather than lovable.

Possibly this is because I read for character, and I didn’t really warm to any of the characters. I did find the information about the availability of food during the Second World War interesting though. (As my mother was in her twenties then, I grew up with tales of rationing and getting supplies from the black market, and also of Woolton Pie, which is referenced in the novel. There’s even a recipe!)

Talking of recipes, it would have been better if they had all been together at the end of the book, as I thought putting them at the end of each chapter somewhat affected the flow of the narrative. It’s a good book for a food historian, or indeed, anyone interested in life on the home front.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

After the wonderful The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, Jennifer Ryan returns with this captivating WW2 novel set in a Britain that is struggling and suffering terrible losses. The people are enduring hardships with food in short supply leading to rationing, that gives rise to corruption, bartering and black markets. In an effort to help nutritional cooking, the BBC's programme, The Kitchen Front, presented by Ambrose Hart, is seeking a woman to provide advice and co-present. To this end, a cooking competition has been organised, with 4 women coming up with recipes of rationing ingredients to support housewives. All the women are desperate to win for different reasons, Audrey is a grieving widow, having lost her artistic husband, Matthew, in the war, left alone to care for her 3 sons, working all the hours trying to keep their ramshackle home, Willow Lodge, with its leaking roof by cooking pies and other foods for businesses and the community.

Lady Gwendoline lives at Fenley Hall, is Audrey's estranged sister, married to the wealthy Sir Reginald, a despicable man who believes, much like a certain prime minister, that 'Rules are for fools'. She is seeking to establish her presence in the community and the higher echelons of society, willing to do whatever it takes to win, and is currently the local billeting officer. She is not a pleasant character, treating people badly, including her current kitchen maid, Nell Brown, overworking her and showing nothing in the way of appreciation. Nell is another competition participant, who has flourished as a cook, mentored by Mrs Quince, she was raised in an orphanage, and plagued by low self esteem, lacking the confidence to talk in public. Ex-hotel chef Zelda Dupont knew nothing but hard times growing up, and has to fight to be recognised as a talented chef in a male dominated world. She is trying to keep a secret that threatens to destroy all her ambitions.

The challenges and demons the women face are far too much for them to handle by themselves, and slowly but surely, they come to see each other beyond the superficial, exposing their past, their vulnerabilities, tragedies, pain and pressures. As a result, they become their own support network, establishing a tight knit friendship group that goes over and beyond to address the troubles confronting them. Ryan does a stellar job in atmospherically evoking wartime Britain, her great characters had me immersed in the riveting story from beginning to end, and I appreciated the recipes in the book, including the surprising Whalemeat and Mushroom Pie. This is a fabulous piece of warm hearted historical fiction that I think so many other readers will enjoy. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

What a heart warming story this is, following the lives of 4 ladies, each struggling with the way the Second World War has affected them but how through adversity and rationing they band together to change their destinies, Also in between the chapters Jennifer Ryan has also added some wartime recipes that are mentioned in the book so the reader can cook along as well.

An interesting story about food rations in World War II and a competition to find a new female presenter for a cookery show on the radio.

There were four women involved; Audrey (a widow bring up three boys and trying to keep her large house going with hardly any money), Lady Gwen (Audrey's stuck up sister lording it over everyone), Nell (a cook in Gwen's house) and Zelda (unmarried and pregnant, very pushy and determined).

All four women end up in the competition to earn the coveted position of the new female presenter, each wanting it for various reasons. They all end up staying in Audrey's house in the end through various circumstances, and find themselve working through problems and becoming friends, rather than the rivals they started out as.

I enjoyed the story more as it went on, so found the second half much better than the first. There was also a lot of recipes detailed, hardly surprising I suppose considering it was about WWII cooking (!), but I did flick over those parts as it didn't really interest me and there was quite a lot of them.

Enjoyable story with a satisying ending.

I loved this book!
A group of women enter a competition to find a presenter for The Kitchen Front, a radio programme that gives recipies, hints and tips to the population of the UK in World War 2. All 4 have different reasons for wanting to win, and although they are enemies at the start, things gradually change and the women start to bond.

The book had a great period feel and the characters were well drawn. I loved the addition of wartime recipies though I'll stay clear of the whale meat one! Highly recommend to anyone wanting a well-written interesting story about friendship in difficult times.

A competition to find a new radio presenter was the filling that ran through this book, but the most enjoyable part was the coming together of the four contestants, their stories intertwining and then they become one. All four of them had their troubles to overcome and find their new paths which were easy to follow and enjoy, it was all written beautifully and a lovely gentle but sometimes a little harder story unfold. I loved that we were given the actual recipes which were written between the chapters as this made the characters feel more whole. Many parts of the war were covered,I liked the fact that we touched on the black market side, as it showed us it happened in the countryside as well as towns. The use of POW on farms was also included.
I wonder if there will be another book after this?

An absolute pleasure
Once again Jennifer Ryan tells the story of bravery away from the front lines of Wold
War 2
This book is not about a stiff upper lip it shows the efforts, hardship and friendship of a groups of diverse women linked by their need to cook.
From a war widow to a Ministry of Food adviser, from kitchen maid to cordon bleu chef we find out what life was like during this time and how the war changed lives.

book review
What a totally absorbing and emotional book. This is not the sort of book that I would immediately be drawn to, however I am so glad I decided to give it a go. I found the whole story to be totally engrossing. The book is set during the Second World War in a row on location outside London. The book features 4 separate women who are brought together by Events as the novel progresses. In chapter features one of these women as the dominant person and in between sections the recipes cooked a shared.

This added to the delight of the book and gave great context to the hardship and challenge of cooking within the scarce rations available during WWII.

There is humour, food, friendship, love and sadness. I found myself crying and then laughing. A fantastic read.

The second world war is raging in Europe and in Britain rationing means that people have to be very inventive with their cooking. In an attempt to help, BBC radio show The Kitchen Front, runs a contest to find the best cook using wartime rations. The prize will be co-hosting the show, the first time a female has done this.
Four women are selected to enter the contest and each has a very good reason for wanting to win.
Audrey’s husband is missing presumed dead in Germany and with 3 boys to bring up life is far from easy. A slot on the radio and the opportunities it brings could mean she can keep the roof over their heads.
Gwendoline is Audreys estranged sister and Lady of the manor who seems to have everything she ever wanted but appearances can be deceptive and Gwendoline is desperate to prove she is a better cook than Audrey.
Nell is Gwendoline's kitchen maid, who has learned her cookery skills from her friend and head cook Mrs Quince and wants to make her mentor proud.
Zelda is a professional chef who has been conscripted from London to work as a cook in the local factory and just needs to get back to the life she loved in London.
As the story progresses you learn more about each of the women and their lives and what is really driving their determination to succeed.
I loved this warm hearted sometimes heartbreaking story of friendship, the cost of war and the inner strength of the characters. It left me with a smile on my face and a lovely warm glow.

What a great read! During World War II a cookery contest is held to find a female presenter to co-host the

popular BBC radio programmme, "The Home Front"., designed to

help with wartime rationing. We share the enthusiasm of the four entrants recently-widowed

Audrey, her estranged sister Lady Gwendolene, Zelda, a top chef, and Nell, kitchen maid from the big house..

They have to overcome bereavement, domestic violence, sibling rivalry, and of course food shortages.

This is a tense and atmospheric story, but most importantly is about endurance and friendship..

I enjoyed this uplifting book immensely.

I love Jennifer Ryan's writing. She writes moving, realistic and ultimately feel-good stories with sparkling characters and twisty yet fairly cosy plots. She doesn't shy away from tough subjects - The Kitchen Front, like her other novels, is set in WWII England and although most of the action takes place in the countryside the war certainly makes itself felt in the lives of the characters - but there's also this comforting feeling that things will be ok in the end. I really like that in my fiction.

The Kitchen Front refers to a wartime radio cookery show that actually did run, and in the novel we follow four women who enter a cooking contest to win the job of co-presenter of the show. Audrey, her sister Lady Gwendoline, Zelda and Nell have very different backgrounds, personalities and experiences, and we follow them as their lives intertwine more and more as a result of the contest. Can they ever get past their differences and support each other?

I enjoyed this so much. I liked getting to know all of the women, and the contest element was great fun, I ended up rooting for all of them. The inclusion of their recipes was a lovely touch and very interesting to read about some authentic wartime cooking.. I already bought this on audio book and I'm really excited for the author's next book, I believe she has another coming a bit later this year. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to the publishers, Pan Macmillan, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy, I was thrilled to get it and I really appreciate it.

This is a feel-good book. Perfect for curling up with on a winter's afternoon.

Yes, the story is a bit predictable, but it's charming and enjoyable, with some lovely detail about coping with food shortages during WW2, and some recipes that you may or may not feel are worth trying!

An enjoyable weekend read. The book is set during WWII and follows four different women who are competing to become the first female co-host of a BBC radio cooking show called ‘The Kitchen Front’.
We learn the background to each of the women and how they are managing life and meal preparation during the war time rationing of usual food products. Loved the detailed research and the wonderful recipes scattered throughout the book.
I have a copy of my great aunties cookbook and reading ‘The Kitchen Front’ had me hunting it out and looking at the handwritten notes like ‘if no butter use shortening or lard’ and ‘if no sugar add more fruit’.
Made the book and the hardships faced by women of this era so much more real.

I raced through this book and found it very enjoyable.It’s an easy and uplifting read set during WW2 ,based on a real contest organised by the BBC’s Kitchen Front radio programme to find a female presenter to give recipes .and ideas for using food rations imaginatively. The four contestants begin as rivals and become friends ,and each of their stories is different but all interesting.I was fascinated by the ways the very limited food rations were used and all the ingenious substitutes for things we take for granted nowadays. The recipes are all provided too ,so I would also recommend it to anyone with an interest in cooking.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Sadly, I didn't enjoy this as much as the author's first book. I found that much of the plot seemed a bit ridiculous, too many coincidences and problems being resolved very quickly and far too easily that it just wasn't convincing. I did like some of the characters but felt there were too many to care about all that much and my sympathy got a little stretched thin. However, the story idea was excellent and I found all the rationing information and recipes fascinating.

A terrific story set in one of my favourite time periods!

As the second world war progresses, there is a dearth of the usual foodstuffs and the Ministry of Food is doing their utmost to entice the nation to use the more unusual – but available – fare. The Kitchen Front is broadcast on BBC radio, hosted by Ambrose but the powers-that-be think a female voice will garner more attention, hence a competition to find someone with the knowledge required to help feed a nation. Four women end up competing for this prized position: a young widow trying to keep body and soul together as well as a roof over the heads of her family whilst paying off her husband’s debts, a female chef tired of competing with men for top jobs, the local lady of the manor who is sick of her husband’s violence and their maid who wants more out of life than being a kitchen drudge.

I always enjoy novels concerning the domestic situation during either world war, and this is very much focused on rationing and survival. I’m sure many, like me, will shudder at the thought of eating some of the food mentioned in this book and yet – as my husband just said – if you’re hungry enough, you would eat it. The ingenious ways in which food was made palatable was captivating but there is more to this story than that; the lives of all four women are very different but all entirely believable and a stark reminder that domestic life carried on regardless of the war raging overhead. The author has her finger on the pulse of all things connected to this period and has crafted a superb story, beautifully written with well-developed characters and she has the ability to make you really care about each of them. Absolutely delightful, and easily worth all five glowing stars and a definite recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

A delightful summer read that is well-researched, it was interesting to read about how rations during WW2-time England worked. It took a while for the story to get going and for the characters to gel, the dialogue was also a bit stilted, but the research makes up for that in the end. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Loved this book and all the recipes.
It's fantastic how it shows how to make the rations people had to deal with go further to feed the family and the ingenious way around things like no sugar or meat.
I wish the restaurant was real and I could go there for dinner.
5 ☆ for the story and 5 ☆ for the recipes which I'm going to try