Alice Ross - The Cotswolds Cookery Club - a deliciously uplifting feel-good read

The Cotswolds Cookery Club is opening its doors !

Conniehas had enough . Enough of the city, enough of her job – and most importantly, enough of her cheating boyfriend! Finally free to chase her dreams, Connie sets up her very own Cotswolds Cookery Club – a place to share scrumptious recipes and, more importantly, a lot of wine…

Trishalways dreamed of living in a little chocolate box village – but she never expected to be starting over at forty. Could joining the Cookery Club be the perfect distraction from her stroppy teenage daughter and her ex-husband’s new girlfriend?

Katespends her life juggling her three young children and running the busy Cotswolds veterinary practice. It’s time to take charge of the disparate ingredients of her life and transform them into the perfect pot-au-feu !

But with three delicious men turning up the heat, perhaps the sleepy Cotswolds village has a few surprises in store…

Fans of Milly Johnson, Caroline Roberts and Jill Mansell will love this heartwarming read!

Also by Alice Ross

Forty Things to Do Before You’re Forty

Countryside Dreams

An Autumn Affair

A Summer of Secrets

A Winter’s Wish

The Cotswolds Cookery Club

A Taste of Italy

A Taste of Spain

A Taste of France

The Cotswolds Cookery Club

Alice Ross

ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

ALICE ROSS

escaped her dreary job in the financial services industry a few years ago and has never looked back. Dragging her personal chef (aka her husband) along with her, she headed to Spain, where she began writing witty, sexy romps destined to amuse readers slightly more than the pension brochures of her previous life. Now back in her home town of Durham, when not writing, she can be found scratching out a tune on her violin, walking her dog in wellies two sizes too big (don’t ask!) or standing on her head in a yoga pose. Alice loves to hear from readers, and you can follow her on Twitter at @AliceRoss22or on facebook.com/alice.ross.108.

Huge thanks to the fab team at HQ Digital for all their hard work on this book, particularly the lovely Charlotte Mursell whose unerring enthusiasm never ceases to inspire.

Contents

Cover

Blurb The Cotswolds Cookery Club is opening its doors ! Connie has had enough . Enough of the city, enough of her job – and most importantly, enough of her cheating boyfriend! Finally free to chase her dreams, Connie sets up her very own Cotswolds Cookery Club – a place to share scrumptious recipes and, more importantly, a lot of wine… Trish always dreamed of living in a little chocolate box village – but she never expected to be starting over at forty. Could joining the Cookery Club be the perfect distraction from her stroppy teenage daughter and her ex-husband’s new girlfriend? Kate spends her life juggling her three young children and running the busy Cotswolds veterinary practice. It’s time to take charge of the disparate ingredients of her life and transform them into the perfect pot-au-feu ! But with three delicious men turning up the heat, perhaps the sleepy Cotswolds village has a few surprises in store… Fans of Milly Johnson, Caroline Roberts and Jill Mansell will love this heartwarming read!

Title Page The Cotswolds Cookery Club Alice Ross ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Author Bio ALICE ROSS escaped her dreary job in the financial services industry a few years ago and has never looked back. Dragging her personal chef (aka her husband) along with her, she headed to Spain, where she began writing witty, sexy romps destined to amuse readers slightly more than the pension brochures of her previous life. Now back in her home town of Durham, when not writing, she can be found scratching out a tune on her violin, walking her dog in wellies two sizes too big (don’t ask!) or standing on her head in a yoga pose. Alice loves to hear from readers, and you can follow her on Twitter at @AliceRoss22 or on facebook.com/alice.ross.108 .

Dedication Huge thanks to the fab team at HQ Digital for all their hard work on this book, particularly the lovely Charlotte Mursell whose unerring enthusiasm never ceases to inspire.

The Cotswolds Cookery Club: A Taste of Italy The Cotswolds Cookery Club: A Taste of Italy Alice Ross ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

The Cotswolds Cookery Club: A Taste of Spain

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

The Costswolds Cookery Club: A Taste of France

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Endpages

Copyright

The Cotswolds Cookery Club:

A Taste of Italy

Alice Ross

ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Chapter One

‘Happy birthday, darling.’

On the other end of the phone, Connie Partridge silently counted to three as she awaited her mother’s next comment.

It arrived on cue.

‘Goodness, I can hardly believe you’re thirty-four today.’

Connie rolled her eyes. The edge to her mother’s voice – which had made its first appearance on Connie’s thirtieth birthday – was now all too familiar. It did not infer “gosh, how time flies”, but rather “I can’t believe my only child is hurtling towards middle-age, has zero career prospects, is unmarried, technically homeless, and, with not so much as a sniff of a man on the horizon, has absolutely no hope of producing grandchildren”.

Mind you, being perfectly honest, Connie couldn’t believe her lack of achievement in these areas either. On her last birthday she’d dared to imagine she might be making some headway – in the relationship area at least. She’d imagined that, after five years together, Charles might have considered her notching up another year as the perfect time to Pop the Question. But he hadn’t. Instead, four months ago, she’d discovered him popping something – or rather someone – else: Stacey – his ridiculously glamorous co-worker. In the bed he shared with Connie.

After the initial shock of walking in on the pair – including being secretly awestruck at how immaculate Stacey’s hair looked after what appeared to have been a particularly sweaty session – Connie had engaged in much shouting, cursing and hurling about of things, before instructing Charles to vacate the premises forthwith. When he’d replied – with some diffidence – that the flat belonged to him, Connie had been forced to concede that he did have a point, and had subsequently made a hasty retreat herself – back to her parents’ three-bed semi in Surbiton – where her mother, predictably, had been less than impressed by developments.

‘Men don’t stray without reason, Constance,’ she’d sniffed, with a knowing toss of her auburn bob.