This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Never judge people (or food) by appearances. It can get you into no end of trouble.
When Milly turned up to investigate Clover Castle, in Fairytale Beginnings by Holly Martin, she had no idea what to expect. She hadn't anticipated a cinderella-type castle with turrets and a drawbridge. And she certainly hadn't anticipated the extremely handsome Cameron Heartstone, the owner. Handsome he may be, but when it comes to tact at their first meeting, he had none. Accusing Milly of looking like a child and questioning her historical knowledge is not really the way to go. Now Milly does have blonde hair with pink tips, large blue eyes and rosy cheeks and she wears sparkly clothes and shoes. And she's short. But her historical knowledge is second to none with a Doctorate, Master of Science degree and extensive experience in things I cannot even say never mind spell.
In short, she's more than qualified to assess his castle. But Milly is hurt. Hurt and mad so she prepares to leave. Cameron, however, persuades her to stay with an explanation for his behaviour and with food.
Big chunks of meat and vegetables bubbling and steaming in a huge pot. Served without finesse into huge serving bowls. Now it's Milly's turn not to judge on appearances. The soup was delicious. As was the homemade potato bread that went, torn in half on the table next to her bowl, with it.
Cameron's style is very much q "throw it all into the pot and see if it works" kind of man. I thought of him whilst I was mashing the potatoes and taking this rustic bread out of the oven. I did cheat and used a mixer with a dough hook for the kneading stage (it makes everything so much easier), but in every other sense I followed Cameron's approach. And it turned out perfectly.
The recipe I used was by The Hairy Bikers, which you can find on this BBC website.