Feasting on Romantic Comedy – Pie from Cherry Pie Island by Jenny Oliver

This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.

Last week an ambition came true for me as I channelled Mary Berry and became a judge at a Pie Bake Off. Yes, that's right, a Pie Bake Off. The event was held to celebrate the launch of Jenny Oliver's new series of ebooks based on the idyllic Cherry Pie Island. The first one in the series, The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe, is out now.

The book features a cafe that is famed for its cherry pie, and behind the cafe is a beautiful old cherry tree orchard. Annie has inherited the cafe from her father, but it has seen better days. Will she sell it? Or will she stay on the island for a while and do something with it?

So of course, with the cafe being famed for its pie, what better way to celebrate the series than with a Pie Bake Off? I zoomed into London, to the vintage clothes store Paper Dress Vintage, where I met Jenny and her editor, Lucy, in order to judge this fabulous competition. 

Jenny had been given a vintage style makeover and looked ultra glam. We all tried on some of the vintage dresses, though I decided, on me, a bright purple kaftan is so not a good look.

But what about the pies? Yes, the pies were set before us and they were stunning. One was a lemon polenta cake, and, as glorious and delicious as it was, I felt, as it wasn't a pie, it couldn't get full marks. Yes, for one terrible moment I channelled Paul Hollywood instead of Mary Berry.

I quickly shook that off and the other offerings – all pies – were delicious. It was very hard to mark them. But mark them we did and the winner was an apple pie that I thought tasted of autumn. 

If you fancy making a cherry pie yourself then check out this one on the BBC. You won't regret it.