Spiced: A Pastry Chef's True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen

Kelvin Fletcher (Author)

Fletchers on the Farm: Mud, Mayhem and Marriage

'We jumped in at the deep end and bought a farm! A reluctant wife, a couple of crazy kids and a husband whose knowledge of farming you could write on the back of a stamp... What could go wrong?!' - Kelvin'Exactly! And the journey has only just begun...' - LizJoin the Fletchers as they navigate the peaks and troughs of life on a lively farm.When Kelvin and Liz Fletcher left their happy home in Oldham for a 120-acre farm in the Peak District, they were totally unaware of the surprises that lay in store. Come along for the ride as they navigate the Mishaps, like shearing sheep in a way that costs more than the price for the wool; the Lessons, such as never turn your back on a flock of sheep - or, put simply, 'always close the gate!' - and the Adventures, going from self-professed 'townies' to farmhands overnight.In Fletchers on the Farm, childhood sweethearts Kelvin and Liz reflect on their history, their future and their daily balancing act of juggling acting careers, four young children and a farmyard full of animals. With wise words on building and nurturing a happy farm and family, this uplifting, heartwarming book is about following your dreams - even if you have no clue how to ...

Richie Fitzgerald (Author)

Cold-Water Eden

An immersive memoir about a groundbreaking surfing career, and a stunning portrait of Ireland as one of the world's most captivating big-wave surfing destinations.Born and raised in Bundoran, with the waves of the west coast of Ireland breaking at his doorstep, Richie Fitzgerald was moulded by his environment - from his initiation to surfing at the age of 9 in the cold Atlantic water to becoming Ireland's first ever pro surfer and competing on a global scale.But learning to surf in 1980s Ireland wasn't without its challenges. With little to no equipment, Richie duct-taped Marigolds over woollen gloves to protect his hands from the freezing water and even melted Christening candles to pour on his board in place of surf wax.Yet the west of Ireland boasts waves of size and quality to rival those in California and Hawaii, attracting surfers from all over the world who want to test their mettle, and Richie has surfed the biggest, and most dangerous, of them. Cold-Water Eden is not just a captivating memoir about a transcendent sport: it is at its heart a coming-of-age story about one man's pursuit of big waves and the dawn of Ireland as a singular destination on the global surf scene. ...

Blessin Adams (Author)

Great and Horrible News: Murder and Mayhem in Early Modern Britain

'Grimly fascinating ... engrossing' Daily Mail NINE HISTORIC CRIMES. ONE FAMILIAR OBSESSION. In early modern England, murder truly was most foul. Trials were gossipy events packed to the rafters with noisome spectators. Executions were public proceedings which promised not only gore, but desperate confessions and the grandest, most righteous human drama. Bookshops saw grisly stories of crime and death sell like hot cakes.This history unfolds the true stories of murder, criminal investigation, early forensic techniques, high court trials and so much more.In thrilling narrative, we follow a fugitive killer through the streets of London, citizen detectives clamouring to help officials close the net. We untangle the mystery of a suspected staged suicide through the newly emerging science of forensic pathology. We see a mother trying to clear her dead daughter's name while other women faced the accusations - sometimes true and sometimes not - of murdering their own children.These stories are pieced together from original research using coroner's inquests, court records, parish archives, letters, diaries and the cheap street pamphlets that proliferated to satisfy a voracious ...