Prue Leith played a leading role in the revolution of Britain's eating habits. Having published twelve highly acclaimed cookbooks, and held the ladle at her own gold standard bistro, she surrendered herself to her own secret passion: Culinary Fiction.

This is the first of three Prue Leith novels to inaugurate the Opus Culinary Fiction series. The mysterious juices of life intermingle with Leith's characters' creative harvests and subtle sauces.

Kate, a successful caterer to the posh Parliament crowd, inadvertently caters to the pleasures of Britain's Secretary of State, and uncovers her deepening understanding that each life must be a hybrid if it is to survive; substitutions must be part of the expectation; nothing is in season forever. Improvisation isn't just an escape route; its labyrinthine route is the main highway. There is no one recipe – not even great sex – which will be news to many readers – that will keep a relationship fresh. And there are days when going off impromptu to fly a kite takes precedence over the sanctity of beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Just when you think your larder is stale and it's time to unplug and compost, a friend – a transplant from another world – will explain that this is merely an opportunity for chutney.