Delicious

Well, it was cheesy, melodramatic, and insanely shallow. There were more twists and turns than a twisty turny thing. But after binge-watching all eight episodes, I did rather enjoy it!

Despite the ludicrous soap-opera dramatics, the soft-focus direction, and the annoying narration from a dead bloke the characters were interesting to watch and fun to follow. The beautiful local scenery was unfortunately underplayed here and we only get to see occasional glimpses of the fairy-tale English countryside.

It was as if a Jane Eyre book had been rewritten by school kids... who then took out the most realistic bits and added an annoying ghost!

But despite all the silliness, I don't regret watching it. This is one of those programs that I would normally love to rain hate on - but in the end, it was a rather charming and fluffy tale of truth and lies... and how they break people apart.

Dawn French is probably a bit past playing bedroom scenes by now, but here she is anyway, candles glowing and legs akimbo!

If you set aside ANY expectation of realism and common sense, there's still enough left on the screen to make this pretty good fun.

With that cast and location should have been so much more. The acting I found mostly good and i'm interested in the food industry so another plus for me.

Cornwall is beautiful and the filming is good if a little pedestrian, Lots of scope for dramatic framing and stylish camera-work.

The story was good but I would have liked to see it developed more, especially Mimi and the son/daughter story and as was said above it was so so predictable. Reminds me of a daytime soap with very obvious plot lines delivered in a simple fashion. Great techniques for a younger audience, but given the content this was meant for a more mature audience.

Overall we enjoyed watching it and would recommend it for easy viewing.

Women bickering is a huge annoyance for me - and that's basically the entire plot of the show. Also irritating: A man who believes he's god's gift to women and of course they're going to fight over him, with a smug, smarmy narration to match. And a self-indulgent "troubled" child who could not be any less likable.

I've worked in commercial kitchens so on the one hand it was interesting because of the food; on the other a completely silly and unrealistic portrayal of all but a handful of kitchens in the world. (Yeah yeah, every cook on the planet will solemnly proclaim that each and every dish served is perfect - from Waffle House to Osteria Francescana.) Arguing about the high quality of food being served - every single episode - is as boring as a weekly F&B meeting.

Leo Vincent is a celebrated chef in Cornwall. His hotel, The Penrose, is a food destination and the main attraction in the area. He stole his Sicilian cooking from his ex-wife Gina Benelli and claims it as his own invention. Their daughter Teresa can't eat, is allergic to water, and needs an abortion. His second wife Sam manages his hotel although she suspects the younger manager working under her is his new mistress. In reality, he's sleeping with Gina. They're throwing a party for Leo and Sam's son Michael's 18th birthday. Sam discovers the affair and confronts him. Leo dies and leaves it all to Sam but the estate is secretly in heavy debt. Unknown to them, Leo had put the hotel in Gina's name for tax purposes. Michael has a crush on Teresa.

It's a family drama. I can't really get to love Gina or Sam. It's hard to really love either of them but together, one does root for them. Teresa's water allergy is weird and one has a tough time with her as Gina's daughter. They may as well be two different species in their physical appearance. The biggest road bump is Leo's death. He becomes a ghostly figure and a weak narrator. I'd rather have the drama of him juggling two women. There is some food porn and some pastoral setting. The material wears out after a couple of series and it lasts 12 episodes in total. The show is like the Penrose. It struggles to stay afloat and somehow makes it from episode to episode.

Each actor wrapped their part in love. At last! The talent of Dawn French has found a nest, a bespoke fit. Gina Benelli and her perfect counterpoint Samantha played masterfully by Emilia Fox kept the lines and the estrogen crackling. The soulful Teresa and the dapper Mimi rounded the ages of a gquick glimpse of every woman. Writing was excellent and fun. Personally, the weekly walk on of characters and side stories gets a touch predictable. One can forgive this though with the urge to look in on the deeply interesting characters.