Dear Reader,
I am indebted to you for taking the time to read The French Cookery School. For those of you who have enjoyed my previous novels, thank you for enabling me to fulfil a lifelong dream and write on.
This story was motivated by a week I spent in France many years ago on a press trip to a gorgeous old farmhouse on the edge of the Charente. As a media agent representing celebrity chefs, I was invited by the host, the exceptional chef, Valentina Harris, to attend alongside notable journalists and experience the cookery course that Valentina and her helpers were instigating. It was a magical time, and I fell in love with the house named Le Touvent, overlooking the Dordogne Valley, which had been the former boyhood home of the late President Mitterrand. In the years that followed, I always remembered the magic of Le Touvent, and I knew the venue would make an excellent fictional base for a novel. On a return visit to France, I decided to set the story in the Vienne district in central-western France, and my research proved fruitful as I found many interesting places to take my characters to. I thank Valentina Harris for her hospitality and kindness, which inspired this novel.
Huge thanks to Lorella Belli, my talented agent. My work is in safe hands.
Charlotte Ledger, Bonnie Macleod, and the team at One More Chapter have gone the extra mile to ensure that this novel receives the best attention. I am deeply grateful to them, especially Bonnie, for her hard work and insightful editing.
Writing about older characters embracing their later years has given me a new lease on life. I am so fortunate to walk this path with my partner, Eric. He is always supportive, and his encouragement never flounders. We met later in life, and may our time together continue for many years. It is never too late to take a leap of faith and live your dream. My mother always told me, ‘The time to be happy is now…’ How right she was.
Happy reading, lovely readers. Do get in touch. I would love to hear from you.
Warmest wishes,
Caroline xx