Rise and fall of Berlin Wall in mix for book

Blue Plate Journey (The Cooking Gene) is described as a culinary memoir by author Annerose, known locally as Anne, who runs Four Gables guest house in the village with husband David and shares her love of cooking with guests.

On August 12, 1961, with just hours to spare before the Berlin Wall started to be built and the border was closed, nine-year-old Annerose and her family fled East Berlin.

During the three years they spent in West Germany, the family joined the Mormon church, which led to their emigration to Provo, Utah, USA.

“From the Iron Curtain to the Zion Curtain,” said Mrs Watts.

She added that she later made her own escape, from the constraints of the Mormon church, and a difficult relationship with her mother, to California’s counterculture.

But when her father died in a car accident while visiting East Germany, Anne had to return to help her mother and, she hoped, to salvage their relationship.

Some years later, the dismantling of the Berlin Wall would change the direction of her life yet again.

From East Germany to the US and back, and finally to England, Anne describes her work as a compelling memoir written with warmth and emotional honesty, coloured by a love of cooking, with recipes that reflect the cultural diversity of her journey.

Blue Plate Journey (The Cooking Gene) – described as a culinary memoir - is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.