The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Baking a pie filled only with scraps of potato skins becomes an emblem of the privations suffered by those living under the Nazi occupation of Guernsey in this period drama with a dash of romance. Events are approached from the postwar perspective of Lily James's London-based writer, who is given inspiration by a chance letter from a Guernsey farmer (handsome Dutch actor Michiel Huisman). He helped form the eponymous literary society during the war as a way of circumventing the invaders' curfew, and when James travels to the island, the various members help her piece together a saga of courage and suffering - putting her own forthcoming nuptials in jeopardy the longer she stays on. James and Huisman's love interest is somewhat telegraphed, and the whole story offers a rather roundabout way of tackling an under-explored episode of wartime history. However, the handsome period design and likeable performers ensure it remains modestly engrossing, with Penelope Wilton offering by far the sharpest contribution as a grieving widow.