Wonderfully written story of love, grief, friendship, forgiveness and the comfort of food.
In a small community everyone has their own problems, but busy lives keep them secluded. When Charles knocks on Kate’s door regaling about the tea house that used to be there, the ball starts rolling on a community coming together to heal hearts. Kate still grieving a tragic loss, begins to compile important recipes that family and friends love. Della, David, Jack, Mary and Eddie are all incredible characters and keep the reader hooked.
The recipes brought to mind many of my own Mom’s bbq hamburger, Nana’s butter cookies, Jeff’s chili…even had me making scones!
Loved this book, it brings out so many emotions. Thank you Harper Collins Publishers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

I was hopeful for this book and it was beautiful, made me laugh and made me cry. There is so much to takeaway and so much that resonates, and really makes you realise that humans have complex emotions and to not be so hard on yourself.
I loved the characters who were loveable and relatable and the story was well written and easy to follow. I love the community feeling and the supportive nature of the found friendships, and as a foodie lover myself, loved how the food brings everyone together.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review.

A Beautiful, Heartfelt Story of Healing and Hope

The Secret Ingredient is a truly special read—warm, emotional, and deeply uplifting. Kate’s journey from grief and anger to rediscovering joy through cooking is both heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure.

Sue Heath’s writing is beautifully evocative, making every emotion—and every dish—leap off the page. The story isn’t just about food; it’s about love, loss, and the quiet strength it takes to start again. And the way Kate finds connection through cooking is simply wonderful.

This book left me teary-eyed, smiling, and very hungry! A poignant, feel-good read that lingers long after the final page. Highly recommend.

How on earth has a book this fabulous been sitting on my kindle unread for over a year? That really shouldn't happen, as it really is a wonderful story.

At points I was on the verge of tears (not great when you are on public transport), but equally there is plenty in this to make you hungry, and also to smile too.

It's definitely a change of direction for this author, hence her new pen name, but I needn't have worried as the writing is still fabulous, and I really loved seeing all these characters and just how the grew and bonded together, thanks to Charles and Mary.

It really is a story that brings a street together, and shows you how important it is to surround yourself with people that care for you, and to have good neighbours (and I'm writing this having just watched the Neighbours 40th anniversary tour - so that seems fitting!).

Kate is the lynchpin of this novel, although we do get chapters from pretty much all the other characters at times during the story, but Kate is definitely the main character. She is still coming to terms with the loss of Eddie, three years on, but has realised she needs to make changes in her life, to see if she can start living again.

And one of those is to try to learn how to cook, as he was a fabulous cook, and Kate figures she will feel closer to him, if she tries it herself. And her first attempt at making pancakes and level of description of where it went wrong, is memorably brilliant.

There are all manner of characters at various stages in life and they are being brough together by this book's Secret Ingredient, and it was utterly delightful to see.

I thoroughly enjoyed every second I spent between the pages of this novel.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A novel where the lives of Kate, a widow of 4 years who has just quit her job as a teacher, are intertwined; Jack, a well-known cook who, after contracting a virus, has lost his sense of smell and taste and thus decided to give up his job; Charles, a sympathetic octogenarian who is trying to make the best of what is left for his cancer-stricken wife Mary to live; Della, divorced, her ex-husband has remarried his best friend and gone to live in Spain; and finally David, also divorced for some time, is trying to take care of his daughter Hollie, who suffers from anorexia.
The characters' stories are intertwined thanks to Charles, Kate's house, and a cookbook: Charles combines couples; Kate's house was a café where Charles and Mary used to meet, and the cookbook will contain all the characters' favorite recipes.
Let's start with the mega flaw. Lasagna does not have milk in it. I said.
Getting serious again, the book is not bad; however, in my opinion, it has too many characters introduced into the story to create couples to the detriment, however, of their stories; for example, David, who is also likeable as a character, but really very little is said about him.
Occasionally there is some recipe, but don't make lasagna, mind you.
One aspect that I personally don't appreciate so much is those books where the motivations behind everything are explained in full; here they explain a lot. Sometimes life is much simpler.

This was an absolutely lovely book; moving, uplifting and full of delightful characters and delicious food. Wonderful.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. It started well but then dragged the rest of the way. DNF for me.

I’m blown away by this book, I finished it in just over a day. Couldn’t put it down, what a page turner. It’s amazing how a book filled with as much tragedy as this one was, was as good as it was. I loved Charles, Kate, Mary and all the characters. They all have their sorrows and their life changing moments, but this brings them all together at a time when one of them needs the rest.

Kate’s life changed in a heartbeat, her husband went out and never came back. She’s trying to live but barely, until she gives up her job and soon after, Charles knocks on her door. This is where the fun starts, despite the sadness laced throughout.

Such a wonderfully written book, with the best most interesting characters I’ve read in a while. I’ll be keeping this author on my radar, and will definitely revisit this book one day. Be rude not to.

Uplifting, emotional and unforgettable, readers will be completely charmed by Sue Heath’s The Secret Ingredient.

Three years, two weeks and one day ago, Kate Shaw’s whole world had been turned on its head. Since then, Kate has been trapped in a vicious cycle of anger, despair and grief with herself and life, but Kate has had enough of feeling like this. Kate has decided that if she wants her life to change, then she must be the one to implement change. Today Kate is going to take her first bold step back to the one place she has been avoiding for the past three years – the kitchen!

What began as a disastrous attempt to make pancakes soon becomes a love letter to somebody she loved with all of her heart and a means to connect with a community she never knew she had that is going to offer her all the solace, hope and comfort which is going to give her all the love and support which she has been missing for so long.

Sue Heath’s The Secret Ingredient is a book readers will want to recommend to all their family and friends. A fantastic tale that will make them laugh and cry in equal measure, The Secret Ingredient is a wonderful story about renewal, hope and healing written with humour, warmth and sensitivity.

Sue Heath has delighted legions of readers with her romantic comedies written as Zara Stoneley and she strikes gold with her newest venture into women’s fiction with her fabulous new novel: The Secret Ingredient.

The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath
This was such a heartwarming story about loss, loneliness, grief and the power of food and how it can bring people together.
Kate Shaw has been struggling to move on after the loss of her husband. One day, there is a knock on her door. It is Charles, who is an older man. He tells Kate that her house used to be a tea shop and that he and his wife Mary used to visit the tea shop. He hopes that Kate might be willing to cook something for her. Kate says yes and begins to try out different recipes. She discovers that she is actually quite good at it and she feels it’s helping her with her grief.
Kate runs into other neighbors and soon they are all gathered around the table. As they are sharing memories and bonding we get to see friendships develop.
I loved all the characters in this book. It was nice to get to know Kate and see how she moved on and made new friends. Oooh and there are also recipes in the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins, UK, One More Chapter for this arc.

The secret ingredient is a lovely book centering around friendship, love and loss. It is really well written. Recommended.

This story had amazing characters, and gave me such a cosy and warm feeling. I also have a soft spot for books with the recipes included in the story. This book also made me cry, it was just impossible not to fall in love with Charles and Mary.

I'm not going to go into specifics about the plot as it really would slightly spoil things for new readers I think. What I will say is that this book will make you want to tell loved ones how much they mean to you, and might encourage us to take a chance even if it feels scary. A chance on love, or a chance on a change of direction perhaps.

It's a story about food and how it connects people as well as nurturing and healing them. It's nostalgic and funny. Sad but life-affirming. Moving and joyous.

I can't say enough good things about the Secret Ingredient, it is simply perfect.

“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.