The Vintage Village Bake Off
by Judy Leigh
Now in his seventies, Robert Parkin is stunned to find himself the unlikely sex symbol of the village gardening club.
Living in happy solitude with his cat Isaac Mewton in the Devon village of Millbrook, entertained by his mischievous chickens and goats, Robert has never figured out the rules of romance. But as the local ladies vie for his company, it soon becomes clear that Robert’s Victoria Sponge cake is the lure, and as his baking prowess grows, so does his confidence.
Cheesecakes, meringues, puddings, Robert can do it all, but his real masterpieces are his scones – ginger, rosemary, coconut, fruit, his recipes are inspired and soon come to the attention of the local media. Which county does the best cream tea – Devon or Cornwall? It’s time for an age-old debate to be settled with a competition.
Robert’s sisters Bunty and Hattie are both at crossroads in their lives, so news of their brother’s baking competition is the perfect excuse to bring them to Millbrook. And as the siblings relish each other’s company, and Robert relishes being at the heart of his community, a summer of scones may just light the way to long-lasting happiness for them all.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
She stood grimly between Aunt Maud and Aunt Dorothy, who sported matching sour faces, pillar-box-red lipstick and jackets with fur collars that looked as if rats had died simultaneously around their necks.
Robert was perplexed. Women were an unknown land that he’d seldom visited and he didn’t know where to buy a map.
My Review:
One, Two, Three, Four – There’s going to be a SCONE WAR!
Another fun and delightful read from Judy Leigh, I can always count on her for giggle-snorts as well as several good belly laughs during perusal. This missive has three senior citizen siblings reconnecting after a lifetime of poor choices for one, lack of choices for another, and handfuls of missed opportunities for the third. They fell into their second chances and found “gardening groupies” at seventy, we should all be so lucky!
Ms. Leigh’s clever humor and observant insights sparkled throughout with quirky villagers, battling journalists, vamping widows, and witty monikers given to chickens such as Hen Solo, Jabba the Cluck, Princess Lay-a, and Dora the Eggs-plorer; goats named Vincent Van Goat and The Great Goatsby; and a cat named Isaac Mewton. I dare anyone to keep a straight face while reading. In fact, I’m tossing out a double-dog dare!
About the Author
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.Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens, A Grand Old Time, and The Age of Misadventure, and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.
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Sounds wonderful