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Blog Tour Stop + Recipe - The Secret of Orchard Cottage by Alex Brown

Welcome to my stop on the Blog tour for The Secret of Orchard Cottage by Alex Brown!

 
 

I'm so excited to have Alex here today, sharing a recipe from her fantastic new book! If you missed my review, it's here on the blog. Go take a look!



The Secret of  Orchard Cottage Alex Brown

2nd June | Paperback Original £7.99 | eBook £2.99

‘A lovely book to curl up and unwind with, as sweet and charming as homemade apple pie’
Milly Johnson

The wonderful new novel from Alex Brown, bestselling author of The Great Christmas Knit Off, this is the third book in the much-loved Tindledale Series.

April Wilson is wondering what to do next – her life has been turned upside down after the loss of her husband so she’s hoping to piece herself together again with a visit to her elderly great aunt, Edith. Arriving in the rural idyll of Tindledale, she’s dismayed to find Edith’s cottage and the orchards surrounding it in a sorry state of disrepair. Edith seems to have lost interest completely, instead she’s become desperate to find out what happened to her sister, Winnie, who disappeared during WWII.

April gets to work immediately, discovering that the orchard still delivers a bumper crop each year, and with the help of some of the villagers – including Matt, the enigmatic Farrier – begins to unravel the mystery of the missing Winnie. Slowly, April can feel things coming to life again – but can Orchard Cottage work its magic on her too?

 

Great Aunt Edie’s Favourite Poached Pears in Chocolate Sauce


From The Secret of Orchard Cottage by Alex Brown

Ingredients

• 6 medium-sized pears, peeled with stalks left on
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 450ml water
• 200g caster sugar
For the chocolate sauce
• 150ml double cream
• 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Method
• Brush the peeled pears with a little lemon juice.
• Heat the water to a simmer in a large pan and add the sugar.
• Leave the sugar and water to simmer until it has slightly thickened, before adding the pears to the pan.
• Cover the pan and poach the pears for 25 minutes.
• Carefully remove the pears from the poaching liquid and transfer to six individual serving plates.
• Pour the double cream into a clean pan and heat gently, without boiling.
• Take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring to make a smooth sauce.
• To serve, pour the chocolate sauce over the pears.


About the Author:

Alex Brown is the bestselling author of five books and launched her career with the hugely popular Carrington’s series set in a seaside town department store. Alex now writes warm, witty and heartfelt novels centred on the cosy community spirit of village life. Alex began her writing career as a weekly columnist for The London Paper, before trading in the rat race for the good life. The Secret of Orchard Cottage is Alex’s sixth book. When she isn’t writing Alex enjoys knitting, and is passionate about supporting charities working with care leavers, adoption and vulnerable young people. Alex lives in a rural village in Sussex, with her husband, daughter and a very shiny black Labrador. She loves hearing from her readers, so please visit her website – www.alexbrownauthor.com or join her for chats on Facebook at www.facebook.com/alexandrabrownauthor and Twitter @alexbrownbooks

Thanks for joining me today, Alex! It's been lovely having you here! I'm off to make some poached pears!! Yum!

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