Uplifting, emotional and unforgettable, readers will be completely charmed by Sue Heath’s The Secret Ingredient.

Three years, two weeks and one day ago, Kate Shaw’s whole world had been turned on its head. Since then, Kate has been trapped in a vicious cycle of anger, despair and grief with herself and life, but Kate has had enough of feeling like this. Kate has decided that if she wants her life to change, then she must be the one to implement change. Today Kate is going to take her first bold step back to the one place she has been avoiding for the past three years – the kitchen!

What began as a disastrous attempt to make pancakes soon becomes a love letter to somebody she loved with all of her heart and a means to connect with a community she never knew she had that is going to offer her all the solace, hope and comfort which is going to give her all the love and support which she has been missing for so long.

Sue Heath’s The Secret Ingredient is a book readers will want to recommend to all their family and friends. A fantastic tale that will make them laugh and cry in equal measure, The Secret Ingredient is a wonderful story about renewal, hope and healing written with humour, warmth and sensitivity.

Sue Heath has delighted legions of readers with her romantic comedies written as Zara Stoneley and she strikes gold with her newest venture into women’s fiction with her fabulous new novel: The Secret Ingredient.

The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath
This was such a heartwarming story about loss, loneliness, grief and the power of food and how it can bring people together.
Kate Shaw has been struggling to move on after the loss of her husband. One day, there is a knock on her door. It is Charles, who is an older man. He tells Kate that her house used to be a tea shop and that he and his wife Mary used to visit the tea shop. He hopes that Kate might be willing to cook something for her. Kate says yes and begins to try out different recipes. She discovers that she is actually quite good at it and she feels it’s helping her with her grief.
Kate runs into other neighbors and soon they are all gathered around the table. As they are sharing memories and bonding we get to see friendships develop.
I loved all the characters in this book. It was nice to get to know Kate and see how she moved on and made new friends. Oooh and there are also recipes in the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins, UK, One More Chapter for this arc.

The secret ingredient is a lovely book centering around friendship, love and loss. It is really well written. Recommended.

This story had amazing characters, and gave me such a cosy and warm feeling. I also have a soft spot for books with the recipes included in the story. This book also made me cry, it was just impossible not to fall in love with Charles and Mary.

I'm not going to go into specifics about the plot as it really would slightly spoil things for new readers I think. What I will say is that this book will make you want to tell loved ones how much they mean to you, and might encourage us to take a chance even if it feels scary. A chance on love, or a chance on a change of direction perhaps.

It's a story about food and how it connects people as well as nurturing and healing them. It's nostalgic and funny. Sad but life-affirming. Moving and joyous.

I can't say enough good things about the Secret Ingredient, it is simply perfect.

“There’s no single secret ingredient in life, we each have our own one and it’s up to us to sprinkle it wherever we can.”

The Secret Ingredient is the first novel by British author Sue Heath. Three years after the death of Eddie, the love of her life, Kate Shaw quits her teaching position at the local high school to say goodbye to the past and start anew. Eddie had been retraining as a chef, and wonderful things would come out of the kitchen she now avoids.

Her restart takes her back into the kitchen, which looks like a disaster area by the time the elderly gentleman from up the road comes to the door hoping for tea and scones at the best ever tearoom. Kate wonders if Charles is just confused, or has dementia, but when he offers his wife Mary’s expert supervision for baking, Kate can’t refuse: she needs all the help she can get.

When her husband Justin left her for his best friend, Mick, it was Della’s dog Skip and her gardening consoling her. The young widow across the road offers to distract her new pup, Clint while she restores the flowerbed he’s destroyed and, over bacon butties, their chat includes Charles, the tearoom, scones and the liver treats Eddie had made Della’s first dog.

It’s not common knowledge that a nasty virus left celebrity chef Jack Shepley waiting in vain for his sense of taste and smell to return: how well can a chef do his job without? Despite harsh public criticism, he closes his restaurant and rents a house up the road from the little group that is privately and informally reviving Auntie Flo’s Tearoom. Jack is now intent on making a career in photography.

His first few encounters with Kate consist of scowls and irritation; only later do they begin to understand each other’s situation s and challenges. Jack doesn’t need a relationship, and Kate is still grieving. But fate has other ideas.

Della’s attempt at digging a vegetable patch brings David from No 3, divorced father of two grown daughters and a cat, to her aid, and she finds herself accepting, and looking forward to, rambles with a man very different from her ex-husband.

This is a sweet, feel-good story that brings together people dealing with heartbreak, grief and guilt, people with secrets and regrets, who have been dealt a blow to their confidence. And it’s food, recipes from Kate’s late gran, from Mary, from Eddie, from Jack, that does the mending. Lots of those recipes are included.

Heath gives her characters some wise words and insightful observations: “Adventurous isn’t about where you go. Sometimes the bravest thing is to stay where you are. Sometimes people are just running away, hoping a new buzz can replace the things they’re scared of” and “was it always good to be strong, to pretend to be strong even when you weren’t? Maybe sometimes it was better, braver, to admit you were frightened, ask for help” are examples.


She touches of a variety of topics: marriage breakdown, death and dying, motherhood, and anorexia. The story moves at a very gentle pace and some aspects do stretch the credibility; the romances are extra sweet and fairly predictable. Quite enjoyable.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter.

A lovely, feel-good story, which runs from sadness and grief to joy. Very romantic too. Possibly too romantic at the end - I don’t think real life is quite like that, unfortunately!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review.

Evie is still reeling from the death of her husband 3 years ago. She just stopped living until an elderly neighbor stops by her house and turns her life around. Such great characters and a wonderful story line. Authur and Mary decide to take Evie under their wing. They include Jack, Della and David in their mission to have people bond together over food. Lots of tears and laughter.

Oh my goodness the emotional Rollercoaster this book put me on! But I loved it! It was so fantastic and the food! It was absolutely an amazing book. I loved it. I had a great time reading it.
I just reviewed The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath. #NetGalley
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A great story about life and how it changes and how you must change with it. I love Kate and how she finally learns to adapt and get over her anger by getting back into the kitchen. I guess I love it because I do love cooking and find it is calming and relaxing to be in my kitchen,

This is a story of life, love, loss and new beginnings so it can and does relate to us all. It is heart-warming, emotional and at times funny. It has everything you need in a great book/read adn I really enjoyed it and was very entertained by it. And now that I am finished I can go ttry the recipes included in this book. I do love that aspect of a foodie fiction. 4 1/2 stars from me.

Thank you Net Galley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Overall, this was a cute read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but felt at times there were too many POVs. Even though I loved Charles and Mary as characters, I don’t think I needed to have their POV to learn their stories or love them as characters because I think I learned enough about them and their background from other POVs. I did enjoy seeing how everyone connected over food.

This was one of those quiet books that you don't realise how invested you've become until you're shedding a tear - or two!! It was beautifully written and contains some lovely characters that you instantly warm to!

At the heart of the story is Kate, who is starting life over after a devastating loss. And as we know with grief, it doesn't let go easily so you're with her for every stage of the journey as she tries to find the light again. And that includes starting over on the cooking front as her other half was always the chef of the house, so we see her learning from scratch to recreate her favourite foods as a reminder to the past.

We are also introduced to Jack who has just moved to the area and is dealing with a different kind of loss - looking for a new way of life after illness cut short his beloved career. And there's also Delia who lives in the area and is nursing her own heartbreak, and finds solace in her garden and keeping busy.

And then there's Charlie, who is getting on in years and his memory isn't what it used to be - when he shows up at Kate's door thinking her house is his favourite restaurant it starts off a wonderful friendship and brings a new community together.

The way each character navigated their own journey really strikes a chord with you as a reader, and watching how their lives connect through food and community was really special. There's a really lovely pace to the story so nothing gets rushed and it's really gentle on your soul! Just don't forget to have a tissue nearby for the tears! A lovely book.

This book was a poignant and heartwarming culinary journey. There are elements of grief, community and love. The writing captured me at the beginning and infused me with warmth and emotion. Food connects us.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book.

🏘️Community
😢Grief
🍍Recipes
💞Starting Over

This was such a beautiful story that really tugged at my heartstrings. The multiple POV really brought the characters to life and I loved how entwined their lives became. The delicious recipes were the icing on the cake!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kate Shaw is angry with her life and her late husband for leaving her alone. She never resolved things with him and feels responsible for the accident that killed him. He was the chef of the family, she just used to sit in the kitchen and admire his skill. Unfortunately keeping busy at work hasn't helped her so she decides things have to change beginning with an attempt to cook something for herself. We follow Kate's journey, connecting to her neighbours and finding her way back. I really enjoyed reading this book.

As I delved into the story, I found myself walking alongside Kate Shaw, our protagonist, lost in the depths of grief and guilt following a sudden upheaval in her life. The book is more than just a story; it's a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love and compassion to heal. With its beautifully drawn characters and heartwarming narrative, this book left me feeling inspired and uplifted.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

I just adored this book! The characters, the storylines, the found family aspects, everything. The use of food as a tool to bring a whole community together was so creative and is such an integral way that we all use to connect and bond with others. I loved the way they all came together. Mary and Charles were such perfect characters too. I loved seeing their relationship and their commitment to and love for each other. It was incredibly moving.

This book had me so emotional in places. The exploration of love, of loss and of trauma was beautifully done. It’s so hard to express those feelings of loss and not being good enough at times and at times, it felt like I could have been reading passages from my own diaries over the years.

I loved it - all the stars! And I now want to make all the recipes!!

A sweet story with sweet characters!

Kate Shaw is done being angry. She has quit her job as a teacher and has decided to finally use her kitchen to make pancakes. Her husband passed away three years earlier and she knows she needs to move forward. He was a great cook and she misses him dearly and all the special dishes he used to make for them.

While she's attempting to cook, someone knocks at her door. The old man's name is Charles and he tells her, her house used to be a tea place. His wife Mary and he used to enjoy many afternoons there. He wonders if she would cook something for his Mary. After talking with Charles for a while, Kate finds herself saying yes. She will cook scones for them.

Next, Kate bumps into her neighbor, Della. Della is divorced and her faithful companion is her dog. They start a conversation and soon Kate invites Della to the meal she is preparing for Mary and Charles.

During all these events, Kate keeps on running into another one of her neighbors, Jack. He has recently moved close by and their first few interactions weren't great. However, Kate soon learns what happened to Jack to make him react the way he did.

The Secret Ingredient gives us a little bit of everything. There is loss, there is sadness but there is also hope, friendship, and memories. Food is a great memory inducer. A certain food smell can trigger a wonderful memory of someone you loved who has cooked for you. A food memory can also be comforting. I know it happens to me when I get sick and I just want to smell my mother's chicken soup recipe.

I haven't tried any of the recipes in this book but I want to.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by One More Chapter via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a sweet story The secret ingredient was.
A village where everyone knows everyone, but maybe isn't aware of the heartache each of them experienced and still carries around with them.
Kate only lives in the village for some years, but had her share of life tragedy. Now new neighbour Jack arrived and things aren't going as smooth as you would like with a new neighbour. But nobody knows the secret Jack brought with him to join the group of life tragedies.
There is Delia and the old couple Charles and Mary. Charles forgets often things and mixes things up, especially when he starts talking to strangers. As Katy experiences when one day he stands at her door and she thinks he might soon be in need of an ambulance. But maybe it wasn't all as it seems, as soon a list of events starts to unfold and life takes a different path. One of friendship, lots of cooking, new experiences and love.
This is a sweet story, but one with strong and interesting characters which take you very quickly along with them and have you smile because of some phrase or a new experience not going that perfect!
I was not fully convinced when sighning up for the book, but intrigued enough. It turned out to be a beautiful story full of strenght that was needed for all of the story's characters. I love Charles in this story, but as well Delia, Mary....each character has its own ingredient to make a perfect friendship.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for my copy of this heart-warming book.

The Secret Ingredient is a book filled with a concoction of emotions, with the story centring around friendship, love and loss/grief. The novel is written well and as a lover of food, I connected with it and the recipes it explores too!

A good book which I would recommend to others.