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Vanilla Salt: Book Review & Giveaway

Published on August 3, 2014 • Last updated July 22, 2017 by Elizabeth Atia

Vanilla Salt

I’m an avid book reader. I’ve often got several on the go at once and there’s usually a few hidden in my handbag too. You never know when you might get a minute or two to devour a few pages, so when Alma Books contacted me and asked if I’d like to review their new publication Vanilla Salt by Ada Parellada I promptly agreed.

If I am to be honest I didn’t pay that much attention to the press release before I agreed and I thought it was a cookery book – Vanilla Salt, it sounds like a cookery book doesn’t it! It’s not; it’s the fantastic first novel by top Catalan chef Ada Parellada.

Àlex is a brilliant Catalan chef, but he struggles to fill his restaurant because of his gruff, eccentric personality and his refusal to use ingredients that trace their culinary origins to America, such as potatoes and tomatoes. When he meets the young, enthusiastic and beautiful Canadian Annette, he finds his ideas and narrow-minded outlook challenged, and discovers that they are both concealing painful pasts. Vanilla Salt is a sensual and mouth-watering exploration of the kitchen and the human heart, as well as a tale of simmering passions and the need to confront personal truths.

When the parcel containing the book arrived I was busy pottering about the kitchen. I tore the package open, read the first paragraph, put the book down, made hot chocolate, instagrammed the photo above and took the rest of the afternoon off to read, curled up on the couch, captivated.

This is a very well written novel with intriguing and engaging characters you instantly feel you can relate with (the lead character is a spunky Canadian redhead with a fondness for food.. hrrm… sounds like someone you know?). It’s the first novel I’ve ever read mentioning food bloggers and the virtual relationships formed in online communities. I feel like this book could have been written about any one of us. Some of the strong opinions expressed by some of the characters took me aback – do some people really think this about food bloggers in the real world, or is that pure fiction?

Parellada’s mouthwatering food scenes transport you into Àlex’s kitchen, so much so I was inspired to try recreating one of the dishes myself (see Chicken with Apples).

Vanilla Salt is a tale of the fragile human heart and the power of the internet to make or break a person. It’s an easy read and although the foreshadowing was a little too obvious and the sex scenes more amusing than sensual I thoroughly enjoyed every moment it. It would make excellent holiday reading for anyone who reads or writes food blogs, or anyone with a passion for cooking.

I am now desperate to visit Catalonia!

Vanilla-Salt-Signature

VANILLA SALT – The Perfect Condiment to Happiness

Vanilla Salt is a debut novel by top Catalan chef Ada Parellada, she owns restaurants in Barcelona and Lisbon and is the author of several cookery books as well as collaborating with various newspapers and TV channels in Spain. Her first novel Vanilla Salt was released in the UK, translated from the original Catalan, in mid July and Alma Books has offered Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary readers the chance to win one of two copies. To enter, fill in the Rafflecopter form below. UK entries only.

Click here to read an excerpt.

HOW TO ENTER

For your chance to win one of two paperback copies of Vanilla Salt RRP £7-99 enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Come back and tweet about the giveaway every day for more chances to win!

TERMS & CONDITIONS

This giveaway is open to UK entries only. Entrants must be age 18 or over. The winner will need to respond within 48 hours of being contacted; failure to do this may result in another winner being selected.

The prize is offered and provided by Alma Books. The prize is one of two copies of Vanilla Salt. There is no cash alternative and the prize is not transferable.

If you need some help using Rafflecopter, here’s a quick clip to show you how. Rafflecopter will pick the winner at random from all the entries received. I will be verifying entries and any automated entries or those who have claimed they have made the mandatory blog post comment and really haven’t will be disqualified. It’s mandatory!

Closing date is midnight on Monday 1 September 2014 and the winner will be announced that day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to be kept up to date on my recipes, occasional craft tutorials, adventure stories and giveaways then please subscribe to my weekly newsletter; it gets sent out every Monday morning if there is new content. Your email address won’t be passed on to anyone, you will never be spammed and you are free to unsubscribe at any time, no questions asked.

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Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary was sent a complimentary copy of Vanilla Salt for review. All opinions expressed are our own. This is not a paid post.

Category: Book, Giveaways, Past Giveaways, ReviewTag: Ada Parellada, Alma Books, Vanilla Salt

About Elizabeth Atia

Daydream adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Calls Shetland home.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aaron Milne

    August 31, 2014 at 10:20 pm

    Pride and Prejudice

    Reply
  2. Laura Vitty

    August 31, 2014 at 9:09 pm

    The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger… it’s just so wonderfully romantic but tragic at the same time.

    Reply
  3. soneailiami

    August 31, 2014 at 8:58 pm

    Harry Potter – for magic 🙂

    Reply
  4. Claire toplis

    August 31, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    Mayor of casterbridge I love the human factor

    Reply
  5. Chris Fletcher

    August 31, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    Catch 22 is a favourite of mine, it always makes me smile!

    Reply
  6. Sue McCarthy

    August 31, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    The Godfather by Mario Puzo – like a nasty crim & a few bloody murders!

    Reply
  7. Angela Kelly

    August 31, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    I have read so many books I couldn’t possible pick an all time favourite. A recent favourite is A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

    Reply
  8. janine atkin

    August 31, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    The Hunger games – kept me gripped from start to finish

    Reply
  9. Sheri Darby

    August 31, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

    Reply
  10. Clare S

    August 31, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    The Power of One by Bryce Courtnay

    Reply
  11. Pam Francis Gregory

    August 31, 2014 at 12:49 pm

    Game of Thrones – so gripping

    Reply
  12. joanne liddement

    August 31, 2014 at 11:04 am

    I love The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern because it has wonderful characters and a unique story about a circus with strange magical lands and inside the tents.

    Reply
  13. Keith H

    August 30, 2014 at 9:54 pm

    The famous five as we did not have much money as kids in 1970s

    Reply
  14. Joanne Welsh

    August 30, 2014 at 1:22 am

    The Diary of Anne Frank, reading it at aged 13, it just really made me think about the world and the things that had happened and possibilities for the world we live in

    Reply
  15. James

    August 29, 2014 at 9:54 am

    From The Storm by Adrian J Walker – fabulous reading

    Reply
  16. Mark Chamberlin

    August 27, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    Weaveworld by Clive Barker as I read it while on holiday in the states when I met my US family for the first time!

    Reply
  17. Kate

    August 27, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    I love all of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novels – can’t choose between them!

    Reply
  18. EJ Dunn

    August 26, 2014 at 8:26 pm

    The Beach by Alex Garland

    Reply
  19. Michelle Ferguson

    August 26, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    All of the Harry Potter books

    Reply
  20. Rachel Bustin

    August 25, 2014 at 1:40 pm

    Stephen King’s The Stand, It is such a long book that gets you very envolved witht the story and Characters, its perfect for a winters night!

    Reply
  21. michelle banks

    August 25, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Flowers in the attic – virginia andrews x such an emotional rollercoaster x

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      August 25, 2014 at 10:01 am

      Wasn’t it!!

      Reply
  22. Hannah Ingham

    August 23, 2014 at 9:32 am

    Harry Potter series, always will be!

    Reply
  23. Christina kuczerepa

    August 21, 2014 at 8:10 am

    My fav book of all time has to ps i love you

    Reply
  24. Jane Frampton

    August 18, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach. Every time you read it there are new meanings.

    Reply
  25. georgina davies

    August 17, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    mine is the witches by Roald Dahl because i adored it as a child xxxx

    Reply
  26. Laura Pritchard

    August 17, 2014 at 11:14 am

    The Wind-up Bird Chronicles – it’s so compelling & bizarre!

    Reply
  27. Sheila Reeves

    August 16, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    My favourite at the moment is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, haunting and beautifully written

    Reply
  28. KATHY D

    August 15, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    TIME LIKE ALICE Neville Shute

    Reply
  29. jen morgan

    August 15, 2014 at 6:27 pm

    Harry Potter- it just kept me gripped all the way till the end

    Reply
  30. Karen Whittaker

    August 15, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    Anna Karenina – I love the historical aspect and find Anna as a “heroine” mesmerising!

    Reply
  31. Rachel @ Parenthood Highs and Lows

    August 15, 2014 at 9:01 am

    Secret Garden – an absolute classic

    Reply
  32. ANDREW ROWLANDS

    August 14, 2014 at 10:46 am

    PAPILLION – HENTI CHERIERE

    Reply
  33. Diane Jackson

    August 13, 2014 at 11:25 pm

    I loved reading Alaska by James Michener – because it was the first book I read that truly lost me within it

    Reply
  34. Terrie-Ann Wright

    August 13, 2014 at 10:26 pm

    i love the notebook

    Reply
  35. Kathy Cakebread

    August 13, 2014 at 8:23 pm

    love Stephen king’s books

    Reply
  36. Kay panayi

    August 13, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    I love anything by James Patterson

    Reply
  37. Miss Carol Ann Betts

    August 13, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    The Cloud Garden. It is a true story that is shocking, makes you laugh and smile, but ultimately has a happy ending when the captives are released.

    Reply
  38. emma falvi

    August 13, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    my sisters keeper, as it made me think

    Reply
  39. Sandra Lane

    August 13, 2014 at 2:46 pm

    I love The Magician’s Nephew by C.S Lewis. It is a prequel to the Narnia series and is a wonderful book for children and adults.

    Reply
  40. Chas Gilbert

    August 13, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    Worst Journey In The Midlands by Sam Llewellyn – funniest book ever

    Reply
  41. claire woods

    August 13, 2014 at 12:39 pm

    P.S I Love You, it makes me smile and cry. It also got made into a fab film that is every bit as good as the book.

    Reply
  42. Janine Phillips

    August 13, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    The Green Mile, such a fab story

    Reply
  43. ann clements

    August 13, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    pride & prejudice – it is what romance should be

    Reply
  44. Christopher Packer

    August 13, 2014 at 9:39 am

    Mute by Piers Anthony is a great sci-fi adventure with many twists and turns and lots of action. I have read it several times and would recommend it to anyone

    Reply
  45. Richard Randall

    August 13, 2014 at 8:03 am

    1984. From fiction to modern day fact.

    Reply
  46. Jane Willis

    August 13, 2014 at 7:59 am

    My favourite tends to be the one I’ve just finished, there are just so many books and so little time. But one book I keep coming back to re-read is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Bradley. Arthurian legend fascinates me and this is a very different, very magical, take on it.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      August 13, 2014 at 8:00 am

      I really enjoyed that book too. I agree – so many books, so little time! 🙂

      Reply
  47. Heather Tinkler

    August 13, 2014 at 7:56 am

    The whitby Witches – Robin Jarvis
    Its a great read with lots of twists.

    Reply
  48. Paula Barker

    August 13, 2014 at 7:43 am

    The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, such a interesting and moving book

    Reply
  49. clair downham

    August 13, 2014 at 7:05 am

    the great gatsby .i read it at college and just loved it

    Reply
  50. pete c

    August 12, 2014 at 9:16 pm

    Tarka the Otter, as a kid I remember greatly enjoying it

    Reply
  51. Melanie McNair

    August 12, 2014 at 6:30 pm

    The Mayor Of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

    Reply
    • Melanie McNair

      August 12, 2014 at 6:32 pm

      The Mayor Of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy as it was the first book that I had to read at school that I actually enjoyed reading, it was a pleasure not a chore.

      Reply
  52. iain

    August 12, 2014 at 5:59 pm

    the boy with the striped pyjamas, love it , sad but true

    Reply
  53. Hester McQueen

    August 12, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist – a book that made me think

    Reply
  54. Sarah Hurrell

    August 12, 2014 at 9:51 am

    Pride and Prejudice

    Reply
  55. Amy J

    August 10, 2014 at 11:55 am

    I love priestess of the white by trudi canavan and the rest of the series 🙂

    Reply
  56. gabyL

    August 9, 2014 at 8:54 pm

    the wasp factory

    Reply
  57. Mary K

    August 5, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    My favorite book so far is Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The book is so much better than the movie!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      August 5, 2014 at 2:25 pm

      I fairly enjoyed that series as well.

      Reply
  58. sustainablemum

    August 4, 2014 at 10:26 am

    Sounds like an intriguing read. I have visited Catalonia and it is a beautiful part of the world 🙂

    Reply
    • sustainablemum

      August 4, 2014 at 10:30 am

      ….and my favourite book very hard to pick………..but at the moment I am reading Margaret Atwood, the Oryx and Crake trilogy on the last book and have loved them all.

      Reply
  59. amy skinner

    August 3, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    Under the dome by Stephen King, can read most of his books over and over

    Reply
  60. Natasha Mairs

    August 3, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    so far my favourite book is The White Butterfly by Walter Mosely.

    Reply
  61. Amy Halls

    August 3, 2014 at 12:49 pm

    A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth – enormous but worth it!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth

      August 3, 2014 at 1:00 pm

      That’s on my (ever-growing) list of books to read. 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Grilled Veggie Lasagne with Wild Garlic Pesto says:
    August 19, 2014 at 10:11 am

    […] I read and thoroughly enjoyed the book Vanilla Salt by Catalan chef Ada Parellada. This paragraph struck a chord with […]

    Reply
  2. Chicken with Apples says:
    August 3, 2014 at 12:29 pm

    […] You can read my review of the novel (and a giveaway if you fancy winning a copy for yourself!) by > clicking here <. I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking scenes and the first one, on pages 4-5 of the book, transported […]

    Reply

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About Elizabeth

Adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Loves bikes. Calls Shetland home. Read More…

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“Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you.”

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