Friday "Foodie" Feature: Season of Salt & Honey by Hannah Tunnicliffe - Recipe Extract

Published on the 1st April, Season of Salt & Honey by Hannah Tunnicliffe is a deliciously "heart-warming novel of love, grief and antipasti".

Yes, I said "deliciously" because it has some really wonderful Italian-inspired recipes preceding each chapter including, amongst others, a moist Banana Bread and a refreshing Rosolio alle Erbe (Sweet Herb Cordial/Liqueur) - recipes that all go a long way to reflecting Frankie's Italian heritage and their relationship with food - be it joy or sorrow, there's a food solution for just about every emotion!

Today, the fab publicity group at Pan Macmillan have kindly authorised me to publish the Spring Risotto featured in the novel - a novel that I'm sure will delight both the foodie and the reader in you.

Before I get onto that all-important recipe though, I'd just like to introduce both the book and Hannah to you.

Here's the blurb:

Francesca 'Frankie' Caputo has it all figured out. She's finally going to marry the man she loves and then they will live happily ever after. But when a freak accident cuts her fiancé Alex's life tragically short all of Frankie's future plans suddenly disintegrate. Drowning in grief, Frankie flees from her overbearing Italian-American family, and escapes to an abandoned cabin owned by Alex's parents in a remote part of Washington forest.

While seeking comfort in solitude, Frankie reluctantly connects with her forest neighbours - the effervescent, flame-haired Merriem, kind and handsome Jack and his sprite-like daughter, Huia. As her heart slowly begins to heal, Frankie discovers a freedom that's both exhilarating and unsettling to everything she has always known for sure.

So when secrets she's buried and her old life come crashing back in, Frankie is faced with a life-altering decision. Will she slip quietly back into her safe, former existence? Or will a new and stronger Frankie Caputo stand up and claim her new life?

Born in New Zealand, Hannah Tunnicliffe is a self-confessed nomad. She has previously lived in Canada, Australia, England, Macau and, while travelling Europe, a campervan named Fred.

She currently lives in New Zealand with her husband and two daughters, having happily ditched a career in Human Resources to become an author. 

When she isn't writing or reading she can usually be found baking or eating and sometimes all four at the same time (which is probably somewhat hazardous).

Hannah is founder and co-author of the blog Fork and Fiction, which, unsurprisingly, explores her twin loves - books and food. Season of Salt and Honey is her second novel.

Here's that recipe I promised. I do hope you enjoy it!