This is the first Cathy Bramley book I have read but it certainly won’t be the last.

Hetty and Dan, together with their daughter Poppy run Sunnybank Farm, a family sheep farm in Cumbria. They both had different dreams when they left school, Hetty wanted to go to university and Dan wanted to be a vet. When Poppy tells her teacher her inspiration is her aunt instead of her mother, Hetty feels disappointed and starts to reassess her life.

Hetty enjoys baking pies and when Dan’s sister encourages her to enter her pies in a regional food competition, Hetty decides that maybe her hobby can become a business which will make Poppy proud of her.

An enjoyable lighthearted story with likeable characters comprising family life, love, friendships and secrets which is well worth a read.

Hetty and Dan were childhood sweethearts, now happily married with a daughter Poppy and owners of a sheep farm life is busy but good. Until one of Hettys pies gets entered into a competition. Realising that this could be the beginning of a new adventure Hetty has to do some soul searching about what she wants from life. Will she stay dedicated farmers wife or will she compromise and start living her dream.

This story was beautifully told and the main character Hetty was charming and easy to like. With some twists along the way it keeps you intrigues from start to finish.

Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery was the first novel I have read by Cathy Bramley and I'm sure it won't be the last. I would recommend this to anybody who likes a light entertaining read.

Have read a few of Cathy Bramley's books and always find them enjoyable, easy reads. I love any books which feature some sort of baking theme intertwined with a good emotional, uplifting story. Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery ticks all these boxes. Would be an ideal holiday read.

A charming feel good read which this author is known for. The story is centred in the farming community of Cumbria and evokes the trials and tribulations of farming life in a hill farm. There is warmth and a sense of togetherness and how, despite all, friendship and love overcomes all sorts of obstacles but also that people need to stand up and be true to themselves. There is also that secrets long kept are best shared as the longer they are kept the implications are more devastating although, maybe after, being kept the people involved are stronger to deal with them.. Easy and light to read with a light sense of humour and although the reader can probably work out the end it does not detract overall.

Hetty Greengrass married her childhood sweetheart, Dan, and moved onto his family farm straight from school. She’s been busy helping him and bringing up her daughter Poppy but is starting to feel as if she hasn’t achieved anything for herself. Her sister-in-law encourages her to develop her pie making skills but making a living from your hobby isn’t as easy as she thinks. Charming, atmospheric but not twee, Cathy Bramley transports us into the heart of Cumbria where love is doled out in slices of pie.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this delightful book. This book is written in such a way as to embrace the reader who will laugh and cry as it progresses. A lovely tale of family life and how it is affected by a range of events and secrets being uncovered. For me, the icing on the cake was the references to all the animals which is always an attraction. A book well worth reading.

I have always loved Cathy's books and couldn't wait to read this at all and she defiantly didn't let me down at all it is an excellent book worth far more than the five stars I had to give it. It's full of surprises, romance families and of course lovely pies. It has such amazing characters with excellent story lines and has you hooked from the first page to the last. It's such a delight to read and full of fun and joy.
Hetty has always put her husband and daughter first before her own. She helps Dan run the farm and has done for years. Her talent is baking cakes and they are simply Devine everyone says. She's made them for a long time but only for charity work but someone suggests she makes them for a competition to find Cumbrias finest food and she enters and wins. She thinks she can start doing something for her and get something done for herself. Problem is her husband isn't keen and someone rings to say she's through to a bigger competition with her pies and she can go to London to see if she wins. She has to decide what is best for the family and hard when Dan doesn't want her to go so does she and can she won and set her own business up or not. Also after a tragic accidents secrets come out and can she forgive and forget and move forward or is that just to much can she be happy or not.
So many amazing twists and turns and perfect to curl up and read this book. Loved it so so much.

I did enjoy this, but not as much as some of Cathy Bramley's previous books.
The story centres around Hetty, farmers wife. She wants more from life, but when secrets from the past emerge she has to decide what is really important to her.

Loved this book. Has a feel good factor and easy to curl up with.

Hetty and Dan were at school together. At the end of school they separated although not for long. Dan's father died suddenly and he went to find Hetty and at the age of eighteen they both started to run the farm together. Their daughter Poppy is now 14 and very interested in continuing running the farm. Hetty feels life is passing her by and when her sister in law, Naomi, asks her to make pies for her Farm Shop she jumps at the chance. This leads her to winning competitions and suddenly the chance to do something for herself is there.
However, fate has several more twist and turns for Hetty which will challenge her and her marriage.

This is the first Cathy Bramley book I have read and I will now search out others. Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery is full of interesting characters (despite what they think) and has a storyline you instantly become immersed in. A good easy read.

This was the first book I have read by Cathy Bramley and I devoured it in one sitting as it was so good. I loved all of the characters and the warmth that shone through. The book focuses on the Greengrass family who own and run a farm and their family and friends also play a key part. Hetty wants more from life than just being a farmer’s wife and realises her talent for baking could be the start of a great business but her Husband Dan isn’t so sure.
If you like a story that focuses on friendships, love and has a baking theme for good measure then this is the book for you. An easy enjoyable read that I would highly recommend.

I always love reading a new Cathy Bramley book and this one didn't disappoint.

Her stories are always like receiving a nice warm hug and I found myself completely absorbed in the storyline.

Hetty Greengrass is married to her teenage sweetheart Dan who inherited the family farm when his father passed away unexpectedly when Dan was 18. They have a daughter Poppy who when asked about a role model at school picks her aunt Naomi who has her own successful farm shop.

This plunges Hetty into self doubt and a feeling that she hasn't really achieved anything that she set out to do when she was younger. With a push from her sister in - law Naomi she ventures out of her comfort zone and enters a competition run by Cumbria’s Finest.

I really liked and warmed to Hetty and completely understood why she wanted to do something for herself even if her husband Dan wasn't so keen. Cathy Bramley writes so well in helping you get into the characters heads and understanding them and you can't help but be charmed by her beautiful way of writing people who you feel you would like to be friends with!

There are some twists along the way that really helped the book from becoming too predictable and I loved hearing about the running of the farm. It's not something I could cope with!

With lots of lovely recipes along the way (don't read this book if you are hungry!) this book was an absolute delight to read from beginning to end.

Highly recommended from me.

This book is so much better than I was expecting from the title. It is a complex family drama with interesting characters. Love conquers all, but not in a yucky, schmaltzy way. Recommended.

Another enjoyable easy read from Cathy. I loved Hetty and the setting of the book

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is a wonderful story to really brighten up the dullest of days with a real feel good factor.
If anything the story is a little to sweet for my taste.

I loved this book by Cathy, as I have enjoyed all of her previous books. I really enjoy that background and research that goes into describing the farming life that the characters life's. I also like it when a previous character pops up from an earlier book, carrying on their story as a background character. I really enjoyed Hetty's journey, re-evaluating her life after many years as 'just a Farmers Wife', now that her daughter is a little older and needing her less, although still loving her Mum. I was really pleased that Hetty was able to do something that was her own, in order to re-establish her own identity a little.

I enjoyed reading this book by Cathy Bramley, it was an easy read on a snowy day. It made you feel good and all the descriptions of food and the special pies made you slightly envious that you can’t bake Leicester that.
A story about life, love and families and how they come in all shapes and sizes.

A nice easy read but with a story that is heart breaking at times.

This isn't the first book by Cathy Bramley I have read and it certainly won't be the last. I love her style of writing, it is so descriptive and her characters come alive. Although I couldn't stop reading it I didn't want it to end.

The main characters are Hetty and Dan who run Sunnybank Farm. and their daughter Poppy. They both had other ambitions when they left school, Hetty wanted to study for a Maths degree and Dan's ambition was to become a vet but life is never straight forward. While Dan runs a successful sheep farm like his father before him, Hetty is kept busy with the farm, her daughter, her charity work and baking her wonderful pies. Hetty's name is put forward for a competition to find the best produce in the region and although Hetty has ambitions to make her daughter proud life becomes complicated.

This is a story of family values, friends, secrets and choices. We meet Hetty and Dan's school friends, their families and even Hetty's beloved dog Rusty. A wonderful book that takes you through so many emotions along the way.

I adore Cathy’s books and this one didn’t disappoint! Read in one sitting couldn’t put it down! Wonderful to read and had lots of tears and laughter. Fabulous

Tucking into a Cathy Bramley book is like a warm hug so it was a delight for me to read this.
I absolutely adored each and every character in this story each one was so unique and had their own storyline though it was based on Hetty's story.
I laughed and cried throughout and at times my heart just broke, it is real emotional!
Also it made my tummy rumble with all the food that was made and described it just sounded so delicious.
Just amazing!!!!
I never wanted this book to end it was so so good!

A perfect read for a rainy Valentines, I devoured this in one sitting. A lovely read about family, friendship and long buried secrets. Hetty is the epitome of a farmers wife but is wondering if there should be more. A dab hand at pie making her sister in law tricks her into making some for a local competition. Maybe this is the change she’s looking for to inspire her teenage daughter that she’s someone to look up to. This also made me want warm apple pie and custard after reading.

Hetty has reached a point in her life when she thinks she might want more.

She still wants what she has, Dan her hardworking farmer husband, Poppy her bright and energetic daughter, her best friend Anna there to listen to all of her woes as well as all the people she bakes pies for. But Hetty feels that she has not made an impact on the world - just on her little inner circle and doubt has set in as to whether she has actually achieved anything as Hetty Greengrass and not as a mother, wife or friend.

Hetty has done nothing other than work at the sheep farm, apart from a short sojourn of working in a Cornish pasty shop when her life suddenly changed for a while, meant she learnt the art of pastry but brought back to Cumbria to the man she loves, she simply continued that by baking the best pies - or so everyone says,

When she gets the chance to enter one of these pies into a local competition it throws Hetty into the spotlight and all of a sudden those around her are left in the background. Poppy is thrilled for her mother, but Dan does not understand why Hetty cannot be fulfilled with what she has.

Throwing caution to the wind, Hetty goes forth with her pies and faces from the past suddenly appear and questions that need answering. However tragedy strikes at home and everything pie related is but on hold as the tragedy starts a chain of events which changes lives.

I could see it coming and this is no reflection on Cathy Bramley's writing or plotting. The book is well written and you could see that the author has reflected on all the characters and the effect the tragedy would have on them. This was not simply about one person's issues and the rest of the characters faded into the background you got the full effect and you almost had to decide what you would perhaps do in that situation?

This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions as I almost wanted to scream at Dan for his chauvinistic pig headedness and but then felt for him so much later on in the book. Poppy has so much determination it was great to see a young girl portrayed as such and not one which was simply a whiny hormonal mess - although that might be to come. I could mention more but  then that would spoil the book for you - go read it.

A book that you can curl up with and lose yourself into a throughly good read - like a pie baked to perfection!