RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER, the Television adaptation of the first in Sally Andrew’s Tannie Maria mystery books, premiered yesterday at the Berlinale Film Festival.

Meet Tannie Maria: the loveable writer of recipes in her local paper, the Klein Karoo Gazette.

One Sunday morning, as Maria stirs apricot jam, she hears her editor Harriet on the stoep. What Maria doesn't realise is that Harriet is about to deliver a whole basketful of challenges and the first ingredient in two new recipes - recipes for love and murder.

Filmed in South Africa and Scotland, the series is a co-production between M-Net, AMC Networks’ Acorn TV, and Both Worlds Pictures, in co-operation with Global Screen. Thierry Cassuto, who founded the International Emmy-nominated Cape Town-based Both Worlds Pictures, is producing the series in collaboration with Scotland’s Pirate Productions, with development support provided by Creative Scotland, and Paris-based Paradoxal.

The show was adapted for TV by Karen Jeynes, who is also executive producer, along with Scotland-based writer-director Annie Griffin. The series is directed by Christiaan Olwagen and Karen Jeynes, and stars Maria Doyle Kennedy, whose credits include OUTLANDER and THE TUDORS, alongside Tony Kgoroge (INVICTUS), and newcomer Kylie Fisher.

Thierry Cassuto said: “I read the novel and I just couldn’t put it down, because there was something so endearing to it. There was something sweet, nice, gentle, and a voice – Tannie Maria’s voice – which I really liked in the novel. I told [Andrew’s agent, Julian Friedmann, of Blake Friedmann Literary Agency in London], “Listen, I think we can do something with this. Can we get an option on it?” And he told me, “Yes, but I’m only going to give you an option if you can do this on an international scale with international quality. I don’t want this to become a purely local South African series.” And I told him that was my intention. I wanted to engineer a production that can stand out not only on the international marketplace, but at international festivals [and in terms of] creativity, too.”