War also fought in the kitchen

The Kitchen Front By Jennifer Ryan, Macmillian, $34.99 .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

I really enjoyed this story, set two years into World War II in a British village.

Audrey's husband is not coming home. The young war widow is trying to cope with her grief, food rationing, keeping her children safe, and keeping up loan payments on a house that is falling down.

When a radio station launches a cooking competition — with the winner going on to be the first female host of The Kitchen Front series — Audrey decides to have a go.

She is not banking on her estranged sister Gwendoline entering. She owes her loan to Gwendoline, who is married and lives in a huge mansion.

Nell also enters. She's the cook's helper at the mansion. Then there's Zelda, a London-trained chef desperate to break into a male-dominated profession.

Zelda has a secret, as do Gwendoline and Nell. While a bit predictable at times, the characters, the cooking and the recipes more than make up for it. — Linda Hall