Welcome to the Cotswolds Festive Feast cookery course...
Fresh off the successful opening of the Paradise Cookery School in St Lucia, Millie Harper is headed to the Cotswolds for Christmas!
Co-presenting Claudia Croft’s famous Festive Feast cookery course at Stonelea Manor is a dream come true for Millie…as is reuniting with gorgeous estate manager Zach Barker.
But arriving in a winter wonderland Millie learns the manor is under a mysterious threat. It’ll take a holiday miracle, but Millie is determined to save the school and get Zach under the mistletoe to finally finish what they started in the Caribbean!
Cosy up with this fun, festive visit to the Cotswolds premier cookery school! Perfect for fans of Jenny Oliver and Sarah Morgan
If you loved Mistletoe & Mystery, why not read the first two stories in The Paradise Cookery School series? Sunshine & Secrets and Confetti & Confusions are both available now!
Title: Mistletoe and Mystery
Author: Daisy James
Published By: Canelo
Publication Date: 10th September 2018
Links to Book:
Amazon (UK)
Kobo (UK)
Google Books (UK)
Extract from Mistletoe and Mystery
“Tim, if we don’t leave now we’ll miss the show!” sighed Claudia as she watched her husband slot yet another screwdriver into the already jam-packed rucksack he had insisted on bringing with him to the tree-lighting ceremony ‘just in case’.
“It always pays to be prepared, darling,” replied Tim, his forehead creased in thought. “Remember last year when George Stanton blew up the kettle and everyone was forced to drink mulled wine and Christmas punch instead of tea and coffee? The whole evening descended into an absolutely riot!”
“And it was the best Christmas party the village has ever had!” laughed Claudia, leaning forward to deposit a kiss on Tim’s cheek before linking his arm and steering him towards the front door. “Come on.”
“Do you think I should take a spare roll of gaffer tape?”
“No!”
“What do you think, Millie? Isn’t it better to be over-prepared than risk the regret of a forgotten gadget?”
“Erm, I’m not sure,” she hedged, uncertain how to answer such a loaded question. It was the first time she’d met Tim and she liked him on the spot, her heart flooding with empathy for her fellow clutter-collector, especially when she saw the pleading expression scrawled across his handsome face. “Maybe.”
“I’ll take that as a yes then!”
And before anyone could stop him, he’d cantered off back to his workshop to collect even more essential tools, leaving the two women rolling their eyes and giggling on the doorstep until he reappeared, stooped under the weight of his over-laden rucksack like a DIY-obsessed Father Christmas.
It was clear to Millie that Tim belonged to the eccentric part of the people spectrum. Dressed in a hand-knitted sweater, incongruously depicting only the rear end of a reindeer, he was as far from Millie’s image of a high-flying City architect as it was possible to get. However, his silver eyes held a sharp intelligence that reflected an avid interest in everything around him and he exuded energy, almost as if he was getting ready to embark on a sprint. His hair, more salt than pepper, was thick and luxuriant and cut into a trendy style by the local French hairdresser, and the fine lines around his mouth spoke of regular laughter. Time spent with Tim Croft would be the highlight of anyone’s day.
He insisted on driving them to Berryford in his Range Rover which made short work of the snow-covered roads. Thankfully, the temperature had climbed during the day to hover just above freezing. The covering of snow remained, but rivulets of water were trickling in the gutters and the absence of a breeze made the night air much more appealing.
As soon as Claudia emerged from the passenger seat, she was mobbed by friends and neighbours and dragged off to inspect the Christmas tree and pronounce her delight at the villagers’ foodie offerings. Tim shrugged his shoulders in familiar resignation, relieved her of her platters of gingerbread and accompanied Millie into the village hall where he too was summonsed for his opinion on the generator that was being used to power the lights.
Left alone, Millie experienced a spasm of awkwardness, but it didn’t last long. No one was allowed to feel like an outsider in Berryford, especially during the festivities. She set down the platter of dark chocolate roulades on an old wallpaper table alongside the most elegantly dressed Christmas cake she had ever seen. A Calypso-style version of Jingle Bells blared out from a pair of huge loudspeakers on the stage at the far end of the room next to an eclectically decorated silver tinsel tree. The whole room smelled of cloves, cinnamon and happy times, with just the faintest hint of bleach, and was clearly a beacon of light in the heart of the village.
“Hi, Millie. Looks like you and Claudia have been busy today. There’s enough food here to feed a whole battalion of Christmas elves!” declared Zach as he carefully lowered a keg of beer from his shoulder on to the makeshift bar that was crammed with a kaleidoscope of spirits ranging from the standard whisky and gin to the more exotic like the thick green liquor that Millie thought must be Crème de Menthe – something she had last seen in her French grandmother’s drinks cabinet when she was a child!
“We have! And you’re right – there’s a mountain of goodies on offer, but we had to use up so many ingredients in the larder because four of the Festive Feast guests have had to cancel at the last minute. Only two couples are enrolled on the Christmas cookery course this time. Look, over there next to the piano; that’s Leo Groves and his wife, Gina, and his business partner, Mike Sanderson and his wife, Marianne.”
Zach followed the direction of Millie’s eyes to where Gina and Marianne were sampling the mulled wine, their mouths stretching into a grimace when the high alcohol content hit the back of their throats. Mike rolled his eyes at his friends and took a sip too, then promptly descended into a coughing fit, his tortoise-shell glasses slipping from his face and blonde quiff quivering in the onslaught as Marianne gamely patted his back whilst trying to hold back a bout of giggles.
Leo, clearly the more sensible of the group, shook his head when Gina offered him her glass and instead selected a bottle of beer which he clutched to his chest as if his life depended on it. He certainly fit his name perfectly, thought Millie, as she took in his broad, rugby-honed shoulders, the tight auburn curls and the bump on the bridge of his nose to indicate he had been in the wars – albeit on a sports pitch. He radiated self-assurance and Millie knew she would have no qualms choosing Leo Groves to act on her behalf should she ever find herself in the unfortunate position of having to instruct a solicitor.
“Hey, you two! What are you doing loitering in here?” called Tim through the doorway. “The ceremony is about to start!
A huge thanks to Daisy for sharing this extract with us, here are the details for the rest of the blog tour..
Sincerely
Book Angel x
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