An Exaltation of Larks

Hannah's life is a mess. Within twenty-four hours of ending her six-year relationship, she is made redundant. To make matters worse, the man she fantasises is in love with her - her boss - is the one to wield the axe. Temporarily homeless and friendless (her best friend Alex has jetted off to New Zealand), she answers an advert to work as a volunteer on an organic goat farm in Cornwall.

Discovering that she is not particularly fond of animals - especially smelly goats - she befriends a Polish octogenarian, Mrs Kowalska, who grows herbs on the neighbouring farm. As the herbs and their friendship flourish, Hannah begins to find her true path in life. There is only one obstacle in her way: the handsome but surly Zach, a fellow Londoner transplanted to the country who, like Hannah, is nursing painful wounds.

In the style of Rosamund Pilcher this is a delectable tale of love, loss, new beginnings, and the healing powers of lavender scones. Set near Lamorna Cove on the beautiful Cornish coast, a few miles from Penzance, An Exaltation of Larks is about how cultivating herbs and doing what you love can heal the spirit as well as the physical body.

Included at the end of the book are recipes of the delicious dishes which feature in the story, such as the Cornish specialty saffron cake, lavender scones, bigos, and lemon verbena ice cream.

Daisy Treadwell lives in Oxfordshire. She spends too much time in her herb garden and indulging in icky-sticky pudding. This is her first book.