The Colour of Tea (Hannah Tunnicliffe)

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It’s been a little while since I’ve blogged - mainly because it has become one of those tasks I tell myself I'll get to...and never do!

Two friends had this advice: 'blog every day...blog to educate and not to market something'; and 'read less, blog more'. I can't bear the thought of reading less but I will make time to blog more. And blog everyday??? I'd have to read more...

The Colour of Tea is Hannah Tunnicliffe's (debut novel. I'm always drawn to books set in places I've travelled to - in this case, Macau.

We travelled to Macau to experience the Portuguese side of Chinese life - Portuguese tarts, the façade and ruins of the cathedral of St Paul, the traditional style of pavement used for pedestrian areas in Portugal and Brazil. What we weren't prepared for was the busy streets, the casinos dominated the skyline (and sending uninvited text messages exhorting us to visit their caverns); the buses tearing around the corners and belching exhaust fumes; the kitsch everywhere; and the sheer Chinese-ness of it.

The Colour of Tea is a story about Grace opening a cafe that becomes a meeting place for Macanese women - Grace explores Macanese food, her relationship with her mother and husband, and the mashing of cultures in this small outpost on the western side of the Pearl River Delta - all against a backdrop of gorgeous sounding, mouthwateringly delicious macarons. Unfortunately there are no recipes in the book but the tale makes you want to rush off and learn how to cook a Provencal lavender with a sweet fig butter cream macaron.