World War II story set in a small English village The Kitchen Front cooking show comes to town. Four women are competing but friendships are formed in unlikely circumstances. A fun quick read
based on a real radio show during the war.

In a small English village at the height of World War 2, four very different women compete for the opportunity to cohost a radio cooking program focused on developing healthy and tasty recipes during food rationing. The war widow hopes to earn enough money to keep her home and family, the kitchen maid hopes to escape a life of drudgery, the trained chef who has risen from poverty and now finds herself pregnant hopes to challenge the men at the top of her profession, and the lady of the manor simply wants to be the best, even if she has to cheat to do it. The competition is forever and bitter at the beginning but as the women come to know each other they learn to respect and like their competitors and end by working together for a common cause.

This is an interesting premise flawed by stereotypical characters who all mature and grow out of their flaws unbelievably. The spiteful, mean, and vindictive lady of the manor learns empathy, generosity, and kindness, the shy kitchen maid who can't say two words to a stranger is suddenly able to speak eloquently, the hard hearted cockney chef learns to trust others, and the widow finds a way to open her eyes to the world around her and move beyond her grief. Happy endings abound and all works out in the end.

This is an interesting plot marred by poor character development.

I enjoyed Jennfer Ryan’s two previous books so I was delighted to get an advance copy of The Kitchen Front. The premise is intriguing. It is June 1942 and Ambrose Hart’s travel program on the BBC has changed dramatically because of the war. Instead of describing delectable meals in exotic locations he is serving the war effort by giving advice to the women of Britain about cooking delicious meals for their families using only allotted rations and kitchen garden produce. The problem is that he enjoys food but knows nothing about the practicalities of cooking. So his superiors suggest he get a co-host who does and a contest for local chefs in his area is proposed. The rules are simple. The entrant must earn money by preparing food. This narrows the field to women who are good cooks to begin with. There will be three challenges: starter; main course; dessert. The winner will co-host Ambrose’s program.

Only four women qualify. Audrey Landon is a struggling war widow who supplies baked goods to the village residents and the local restaurant so she and her three sons can manage to stay in their home. Her younger sister Gwendoline Strickland married a grocery mogul and persuaded him to buy the local baronial estate Fenley Hall. Her qualification is that she presents well-received programs about food preparation at venues for the Ministry of Food. The sisters are not fond of each other.

Lady Strickland’s own cook, Mrs Quince, is the third contestant. She is one of the ten best manor cooks in the country, but she is in her seventies and not well. It is agreed that the young kitchen maid Nell Brown can assist her.

The final contestant is an outsider relocated to the area. Zelda Dupont was a Condon Bleu chef in London until her hotel was destroyed in the bitz. She now runs the employee cafeteria at Strickand’s pie factory in a nearly town. She hopes to jump-start her career by getting national exposure on the radio.

As the contest progresses, the women are really rivals. There are rules broken when one contestant goes to the black market and another hires a celebrity chef to help her. Each woman faces personal tragedy and has to confront fears and heart-breaking truths. By the end when the winner is announced, the women and the village have changed. The war will rage for three more years but animosities are buried and hearts mended.

This is a wonderful novel with the bonus of the actual recipes cooked for the contest. The Wild Mushroom Soup with local herbs sounds great. I’m not sure about the Spam and Game Pie.

This is the first time that I had the pleasure to read a book by Jennifer Ryan, and I really enjoyed it. Set In a small town In Great Brittan during ww2 the story of 4 different women and the cooking contest.
Historical fiction is a great way to relax with a good book and get lost in its words, and this fit the bill. Thanks for the ARC.

I loved this book! Another winner from Ms. Ryan. “ The Kitchen Front” is the story of four women who by all accounts shouldn’t be moving in each other’s circles, let alone friends, yet during wartime, everything changes, societal rules are bent, and in this story, dinner must be prepared with creativity and rationed food.

Audrey is the main character, if there is one. Mother of 3 boys, she is a natural in the kitchen and bakes pies and cakes to supplement her income. Her estranged sister, Gwendolyn, married to a Lord and working for the Ministry of Food and being snooty. There’s Nell, a kitchen maid at Lady Gwendolyn’s manor, and finally Zelda, a chef who has been relocated from London and hides a secret. All four women enter the “Kitchen Front” contest to be on the BBC radio show of the same name. The contest requires them to make original recipes using rationed foods or foods they’ve gathered (think lots of salted and tinned fish, wild veggies, and fruits from the garden). Although they start as competitors, the women become friends, supporting each other through tough times during a time when women were supposed to be wives and mothers.

I love Ms. Ryan’s books. This one was well researched and she included the recipes of some of the dishes that the ladies made, some of which came from actual recipe books from the era, and some from her family. That touch of authenticity makes this story special.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and Ms. Ryan for an ARC in exchange for a fair an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Ryan’s previous book and was so looking forward to reading her new book. I am happy to say it was fabulous, The story of four very different women in a small village outside London competing in a cooking contest brings a new look at life during war. Each character is vividly portrayed. I could actually picture the story in my head such was the magnificent writing. Well done,

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was such a delightful read about a cooking contest during WWII using rationed foods. The author skillfully build the novel from the view point of the four contestants each struggling with her own set of life problems each hoping for the contest win as a delivery. Audrey, Gwen, zelda, and Nell are different women who come together in this contest. I loved the ending and separately wanted a years later epilogue about each of the four women, Sir Strickland, Paolo, Madeline, and jim Denton!!! A fabulous read about how women can bond, lift each other handshake the most of SPAM!! A solid 5 star read.

In her signature style, Ryan creates an engaging story that revolves around four women in rural England competing to be the first female announcer on BBC's radio program "The Kitchen Front." In a leisurely fashion, their individual stories unfold and become entwined. Somewhat predictable, it shows hardships and losses that become tinged with comfort and joy. It's a bit of an oxymoron to talk about a delightful war story, but that's what this is.

The Kitchen Front is another wonderful story of the Home front in WWII Britain. Four very different women, from all walks of life, become entrants in a cooking contest that will give one of them a chance to be on the BBC broadcast of the Kitchen Front. This tells their story of enduring all the challenges the war and life brings to them, including food shortages and rationing. I particularly enjoyed looking at the wartime recipes they presented, but mostly I liked watching as their friendship developed and they became family to each other. I will definitely read more by Jennifer Ryan - interesting stories, great characters. Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for the e-arc. Solid 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I really enjoy stories about England's home front during WWII, and this is a good one. Dealing mostly with the rationing of food and the shortages faced by ordinary women just trying to feed their families, it humanizes the home front for those of us who put food on the table daily.

Four very different women enter a cooking contest to become the female voice on the radio telling women how to work within the guidelines of the rationing program, and how to use the very unpopular foods that are being introduced and encouraged because they are plentiful. Whale meat is not what most people want to eat and they can'f figure out how to use this new Spam that the Yankees have introduced!!

The four women go from competitors to roommates to friends to business partners and it is fun to watch them do so.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan takes place in World War II and follows the lives of four very different women. An orphan, a widowed mother, a society wife, and an single pregnant women who is a trained chef. The four women come together because they are all competing to be on a BBC radio cooking show.

The story is about their friendships and the power of community. There is light romance, but it really is about the friendships of the women.

"The Kitchen Front" includes recipes for all for all of the recipes. It wonderful uplifting read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher.

Beautiful story of friendship and sisterhood. I can absolutely see this book adapted for the screen.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. At first it seemed a bit too light-hearted to be a WWII novel, but as each characters back-story developed, there was enough substance to sustain the novel. Family, friendships, village life - all made for a quick, sweet read.

I am just loving everything Jennifer Ryan writes. I love the creative ideas that she has for historical fiction. Her newest novel is about a cooking contest put on by the BBC during WWII to showcase how to cook using the rations and being creative with less. She even includes recipes, which are interesting to look over. I'm tempted to try the scones! I love her characters and I can easily picture them in my mind and make voices for them. This is a great read, easy to get into, great characters and a fantastic story line. I highly recommend this! Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC. I was thrilled to be approved!

Great Britain has been at war for two years, her people have endured Nazi bombing runs, food shortages and the deaths of thousands of their citizens, both at home and at war. Desperate for something to bring a little cheer to the war weary country, BBC Radio decides to stage a cooking contest, with the winner, getting the chance to be the first female broadcaster. Four very different women, a chef, a nurse, a maid and a woman of means all enter the contest, all hoping for a chance to change their lives. This is such a beautiful story, Ryan does an amazing job of capturing the hopes, fears and determination of one of the greatest countries during THE pivotal moment in 20th century history

I loved loved loved this book! It may have a bit of a “pat” ending, but it was a great book despite that. Great characters, a good story and fun recipes and facts of food rationing in WWII.

Jennifer Ryan writes the most appealing books. As with her other novels, this is set in Great Britain during WWII, in Fenley, a small town south of London. It is 1942 and the Brits have been at war since 1939 and it rules everyone's life. Food is rationed and the government is always offering ways to make do with less including a radio show (The Kitchen Front) that covers that subject. That show is hosted by a man but the BBC is looking for a woman to take over so they host a cooking contest to find this new host. Set over 3 months, the contestants must make an appetizer the first month, a main dish the second and a dessert the third. They'll be judged on taste and the ability of the average person to get the ingredients and make the dish.
The main characters are 4 women who enter this contest which is held in Fenley (home of the male host), all hoping to win the prize and improve their lives. Audrey is a widow who is running herself ragged trying to keep her home and family together as she struggles to pay the bills with her home baking business. Gwendolyn is Audrey's (estranged) sister and the lady of the manor, having married a newly knighted businessman and bought into his view that they should be in charge of everything no matter who they crush on their way up. Nell is Gwendolyn's kitchen maid, trained to be an excellent cook by the elderly cook of the manor and desperately hoping there is more to life than being a maid. Zelda is a trained chef who has lost her London hotel restaurant job due to it being bombed. She has taken on a war job working in Gwendolyn's husband factory while also trying to hide that she is pregnant.
We are drawn into all of their lives and their struggles and their eventual friendship. Jennifer Ryan writes books that you love to read and when you finish leaves you wanting more.

Jennifer Ryan is the author of The Kitchen Front!

That alone should have you rushing to buy this treasure. When I hear she has a new book coming out I feel like doing a happy dance in anticipation. Every single one of her books is filled with delightful characters, atmosphere galore, and a wonderful story.

While all of her books I've read are set in the WWII era, they are each unique. The main characters of The Kitchen Front are competing in a cooking contest that has the homey atmosphere of that British baking show we all love. Each competitor knows that winning could change their life so the competition is fierce and the stakes are high.

As with all of Jennifer Ryan's books, I hated to see this one end. I try to pace myself and make myself read slower or make myself set it aside for a few hours to put off the end, but I inevitably pick it right back up because I enjoy her books so much. I'm sure you're going to love it just as much!

I enjoyed this book. If you like historical novels centering around World War Two (which I do), you will enjoy it too. It’s a story about women from different backgrounds and classes, their competition with each other and the friendships that they forge in order to get by. It’s tied together by food and is peppered with recipes from the era to go along with the kitchen contest theme.

Jennifer Ryan is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I was delighted to be able to read an advance copy of her latest book, The Kitchen Front, and I'm happy to report that it's another winner. The book is well-written and has an interesting cast of characters. The focus on food rationing during the war and the lives of women then was educational and extremely interesting to me. I thought the book brought that period of time to life, and I got completely absorbed in the lives of the characters. With quarantining during the pandemic, I found I could relate to their circumstances even more. I found myself wishing I had planted a garden when it first began to be more self-sufficient. I think book groups would enjoy discussing this book. I highly recommend it and look forward to Ryan's next book.