Recipes for Love and Murder

Charming, gloriously inclusive and just damn gorgeous. You have to accept some things about Tannie Maria. She doesn't answer questions in as straightforward a way as some would like. She solves problems by cooking her way through them and can't always articulate her solutions any other way. But if you change the pace of your expectations and indulge the complexity of the story being carefully unfolded for you, you will be introduced to deeply crafted characters portrayed by an incredible cast in a breathtaking location that (if you're not South African) you may know nothing at all about. For the people complaining about the plot (surrender to the pace because it's worth it) or diversity of characters (the horror), I am not sure what you're watching. It's a story about a place where murder is kind of the least interesting thing going on and people form genuine connections with one another. The murders don't drive the plot of every storyline or even the majority of each episode. There are simultaneous storylines happen at once. This isn't Vera (Bless her in all her glory). It's Recipes for Love and Murder and that's exactly what it's about. Plus the food looks luscious. It took me a minute (as a former farmer) to enjoy Morag, the chicken, in the kitchen but Tannie Maria's hen would never. Give yourself a treat and check this one out.

A newspaper recipe columnist in a small South African community has to take over the advice column of said paper and gets swept up in a criminal investigation when one of her letter writers is murdered.

This series is a mixed bag overall but I would still recommend watching it. The investigation of the abused wife's murder is spread across all 10 episodes and is a bit tepid as murder mysteries go. I had figured out who the murderer most likely was by around the second or third episode. I think you could have jettisoned the whole crime angle and focused on Tannie Maria and her food-laced advice column and it would still have been a satisfying series. The somewhat violent climax in the last two episodes felt at odds with the series' overall gentle, somewhat humorous tone. (And the murderer's actions at the end make absolutely no sense anyway but I won't say more than that)

What works in this series is the unfamiliar context (South Africa...I'm from the U. S.), a skillful use of flashbacks, the beautifully filmed scenery and food, and the actors. Maria Doyle Kennedy makes for an unusual detective. She's soft spoken, sweet-natured, introverted and even a bit passive at times. Tony Kgoroge is appropriately brusque as the chief detective (and love interest). Kylie Fisher as the fiery young journalist (Maria's fellow investigator) is very good as a young woman with a lot of stuff on her plate. And Arno Greef is very likable as her good-natured, kinda-lunk-headed, boyfriend. And all the other actors are enjoyable as well.

To sum up: The series has an uneven tone overall but I think with some script-tightening, it could be something special. I enjoyed watching it.

I am a frequent visitor to the beautiful town of Prince Albert. I was there when this was being filmed. I cannot think of a better place for the crew to have filmed this. The cinematography, acting, music, direction, story - all great. I would love to see more in this series. I hope South Africans starving for great quality South African content, show their support and watch this heartwarming and charming show. Congrats to the entire team. Great fun! Please give us more...

It matters that Tannie Maria (aka Maria Purvis) is the most likable amateur detective introduced in a long while because it means longevity - we look forward to seeing her again and willing to spend some of our time with her. Big credit goes to actress Maria Doyle Kennedy (who played one of the most hated characters in Downtown Abbey - Vera Bates). The series has an easy-going character driven style for the most part laced with some tension and a dash of the macabre with loads of humour, creating its own idiosyncratic take on the 'cottage-murder-mystery'. The cinematography, acting, music, story-telling and recipes work well together. Sure there is room for improvement, a bit of tweaking here and there but a solid first season worth the viewing and second helping.

My wife & I are hooked on murder mystery shows especially those based in Great Britain & the British Commonwealth. There are many that are so good and you hate it when the series ends. That's how we feel about 'Recipes for Love and Murder.' We are ready for much more. The characters are realistic with varying personalities & their own personal issues. But they meld so well. The mixes of humor, drama, mystery, and romance is perfect. Some of the humor is subtle and makes me laugh even more. Then there are the recipes & advice. Those elements set this apart from other mystery shows. We get hungry with every episode! We love the way Maria mixes the two to give the perfect blend for solving the solution to people's problems & sometimes assist with the mystery at hand! Not only are we ready for more of the series we're looking for the cooking book (wishing & hoping one might actuallybe published)!