How Valentina Found Her Place in Berriboo
Valentina appeared in Berriboo almost by accident.
I wanted to create a character connected with autumn, home, warmth and the quiet pleasure of ordinary days.
She is the kind of person whose house always smells of freshly baked pies.
There is always something on her kitchen table: homemade jam, warm bread, cookies or a pot of tea with cinnamon.
And if you happen to stop by, Valentina will always find something to offer you.
She loves having guests.
She loves cooking.
And she especially loves autumn.
But there was one thing I wanted to give her that was a little less perfect.
Valentina loves going to the forest to look for mushrooms.
The problem is that she never finds any.
She searches everywhere.
Under fir trees.
Among the leaves.
Behind fallen branches.
Nothing.
Not a single mushroom.
And the funny part is that the mushrooms are actually there.
They simply follow her.
One hides behind a tree.
Another watches from the grass.
Another walks quietly behind her basket.
Valentina walks straight past them every time.
I liked the idea that this could become a little secret between the character and the forest.
Valentina thinks she is simply unlucky with mushrooms.
The mushrooms know otherwise.
They like her.
So, instead of allowing themselves to be found, they follow her home through the forest and leave her a little gift.
A jar of their special mushroom jam.
That was how the idea of the jam appeared.
I wanted it to feel completely different from ordinary jam.
Its taste reminds Valentina of strawberries, warm caramel, cotton candy from an evening fair and the sweets she remembers from childhood.
But the recipe?
That belongs to the mushrooms.
They never tell Valentina what is inside.
And she never asks.
Perhaps that is what makes the jam special.
It is the only jam Valentina never makes herself.
She receives it once a year, straight from the forest, in the same mysterious way.
And then I realized that the story needed one more little secret.
Valentina never tells the other residents of Berriboo where the jam comes from.
She simply calls it her famous mushroom jam.
And everyone in Berriboo assumes it is probably… well… made from mushrooms.
So nobody wants to be the first person to try it.
Valentina doesn’t correct them.
She simply brings the jar a little closer, pours herself some cinnamon tea and enjoys another spoonful.
I love this little imperfection in her character.
Valentina is generous.
She loves guests.
She feeds everyone.
She shares her pies and homemade preserves.
But this one thing?
This one little jar?
She keeps for herself.
And somehow, that makes her feel much more real to me.
Valentina is not a perfect hostess from a perfect fairy tale.
She is a woman with her own little secrets, her own habits and her own tiny selfish pleasures.
And somewhere in the Berriboo forest, a group of mushrooms is probably laughing quietly about the fact that she still hasn’t managed to find them.
They don’t mind.
They prefer following her.
And every autumn, they leave a little jar in her basket.
Just to make sure Valentina never comes home disappointed.
