A Review of The Chef & I by Móna Wise

I'm one of those people that always likes to know a little bit more about someone's life. I'm interested in finding out about their background and what has brought them to where they are today. I'm a talker but also I really like to listen. I think it's partly just in my nature, as I come from a very chatty brood and as the youngest member of the clan my childhood was spent more with ageing relatives drinking tea than amongst my peers in a playground. I also worked as a nurse for many years and good conversational skills are essential, when dealing with people at their most vulnerable. I enjoyed my job and I appreciated the people I met along the way. So my chatty and inquisitive ways could stem from a combination of raring and career choice or maybe I'm just plain nosey, but people from all different walks in life really interest me. I feel the same way about the authors of books I choose to read. When picking a book I always flick to the back page to have a read about who has actually written this book. The two or three lines are never enough for me so I will normally google the writer, to find out a little more. As peculiar as it may sound, I almost need to like something about the author to like the book and am completely disappointed if I see an interview, or indeed meet them, only to find they are not as admiring as I had anticipated. In the case of my latest read, The Chef & I - A Nourishing Narrative, I had previously had a couple of encounters with the author, Móna Wise, so the question as to whether or not I would like who was behind this book was already covered. As a friendly and amicable lady, Móna is certainly someone that I could get along with easily, but also we have some similarities; she is a busy mother to four with a huge passion for feeding her family well, she is also a keen gardener and has plenty of poultry in the back garden. Upon chatting with this lady it's clear that she really has excellent conversational skills. Móna writes a hugely successful blog {Wise Words} and only recently herself and her husband Ron became the new food writers with The Sunday Times. Amongst all these commitments this lady manages to attend college, where she is studying for her degree in creative writing. A project as part of this course was to write this book which she then, quite rightly, decided to self publish to share with a greater audience. Mona's a very knowledgeable lady and with an ability to tell a tale with lots of gusto, this book is a great celebration of  Mona's story telling skills.  

This is a book with a difference as it's divided into two parts; first part is autobiographical and the second part is dedicated to Ron's recipes. The first seventy five pages certainly satisfied my need to know a little more about the author. This along with a large selection of recipes really make it my sort of read. The first part of the book gives a wonderful  introduction to Móna and Ron's life together. How they met and all that goes with it. Móna opens her heart to the reader and doesn't shy away from sharing the bad days as well as the good. Marriage and parenthood can sometimes be a little rocky and it's refreshing to read an accurate and honest account of normal family life. It's a touching tale that mostly made me laugh but there were parts of the book that were also terribly sad. I certainly don't feel it is necessary to already know Móna or Ron as their story unfolds beautifully and within a few pages of the book one would feel like they are already very familiar with the Wise family. This is an admirable love story about a girl who very much loved a man from the first moment she set eyes on him and sixteen years on this love is still as strong. I enjoyed every page of this story as Móna delivered her tale with not only heart and emotion but also with a lot of wit.  

The second part of the book is home to Ron's unique, interesting and very enticing recipes. Ron is a trained chef and currently works as a gourmet baker in Morton’s of Salthil, however his recipes couldn't be described as over complicated and are surely delivered very much with the home chef in mind.The recipes are divided into Sauces, Snacks, Soups & Sides, Bigger Eats and Sweet Treats. When trying to choose which recipe to cook first, the one that caught my eye was the Buttermilk Fried Chicken and by gosh did I choose a good one. This chicken was so deliciously moist and tasty that all at the table were chanting for more. The next dish I want to make is 'Grandma's Chocolate Nutty Pie', as with many of the included recipes it's the sentiment of the introduction that had me hooked. The photography on Móna's blog is always stunning and the book is no different; the photographs are very beautiful and recognisably homely. This is a fabulous book and I'm very much looking forward to the next two editions. 

Competition Time

Móna has very kindly offered me a copy of The Chef & I to give to one of my readers. Móna will personalise it and post it anywhere in the world, so everyone is in with a chance. To be in the draw for winning this beautiful book simply leave a comment below. I will then pop all the names in a hat and the winner will be chosen next Wednesday 11th July. Best of luck!

If you would like to purchase a copy of The Chef and I: A Nourishing Narrative by Móna Wise it is available to purchase from www.kennys.ie and is €25.00. It is also available for the kindle here.


This competition is now over. Thank you to all who entered. All names were put in a hat and the winner is....Carolanne. Congratulations!