“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.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

My first read from this author and I was not disappointed.

Kate a widower of three years is planning on changing her life. She quits her teaching job and makes the decision to venture back into her late husband Eddie’s domain - the kitchen. She knows nothing about cooking but is determined to learn. Jack a chef who has been unable to work in a kitchen since his last episode of covid when he lost both his sense of taste and smell wants to lock himself away and never step foot in a kitchen again. When Kate and Jack meet through a circle of neighbours they help each other overcome their difficulties and move forward.

Oh wow, this book hits hard and right from the beginning. I was crying...like ugly crying right from the first chapter. It took me longer to finish reading it since I had to be mindful of when I was reading since it just hit me in the feels so intensely. There was so much beauty and joy and grief and anguish and it was so perfectly written that your heart just broke and mended, over and over as you read. It's such a wonderful book about grief, guilt, healing, and found family and you'll fall in love with all of the characters in it's pages.

I felt like all of the characters were so well written and there were parts of each that I really connected with. I enjoyed the shifting perspective as well from chapter to chapter getting more insight into each person and their experiences. I think my favourite was Charles but I always have a soft spot for the sweet, old man in these books. He was endearing in his devotion and love for his wife but I also loved his mischievous side as he played matchmaker.

The whole recipe book idea was beautiful with each character bringing recipes into the book and sharing parts of their lives through the meals and foods that meant something to them. A wonderful reminder of how food can bring us together and how we make such strong memories on these special treats or meals.

I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.

Grab your tissues with this one! The characters throughout this book were so perfect. They brought you in, made you feel their love, and want to be at the table with them.

The way love, grief, and guilt were handle were relatable and raw. This was a beautiful book.

Kate Shaw has decided after a long period of time to stop being angry at the world and step into her kitchen and attempt pancakes, with disastrous results but the tentative start of a culinary journey.

I loved the characters and felt they’re back stories were really lovingly developed, each and every one of them, the community feel to one street was wholesome and the recipes (definitely made note of a few!) sounded scrumptious, made my mouth water.

Wow what a novel, had me laughing, crying and gave me a sense of warm satisfaction at the end!