Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
It’s almost two weeks since I bought the two Sicilian blood oranges along with some white asparagus in Chiswick – and I really needed to do something with them! I could, of course, just eat them – straight. But I wanted to do something a bit special and the plan had been in my head all […]
Read MoreI bought Gino D’Acampo’s Hidden Italy on the spur of the moment; it was on offer in WH Smith for a bargain £7. I’ve got a few of Gino’s books now. Like a true and good Italian, he keeps things simple, reasonably authentic – and his recipes work! Which isn’t something that can be said […]
Read MoreI guess you might say tonight’s supper was a last-ditch attempt to grab a bit of summer. Well the sun has actually been shining today and the temperature was even quite warm. But the real reason I made this dish was because I couldn’t resist buying some burrata I saw on the cold shelves in […]
Read MoreI used to cook lots of Ottolenghi’s recipes after I bought his Jerusalem book (published 2012) but then turned my attention – as often happens – to new books I bought. However, I so much loved my visit to the Ottolenghi restaurant in Islington last Saturday that I vowed as I ate the delicious food […]
Read MoreI’ve always had a bit of an addiction to good bread. I can remember as a toddler standing with my grandmother at her local bakery (she looked after me while my mother worked) waiting for their shop to open and taking home a still-warm bloomer loaf with poppy seeds on top. In Italian delis in […]
Read MoreI make no claims to authenticity for this recipe; it’s just a combination of some I found in books and online. But during the life of this blog, I’ve discovered that ‘authentic recipes’ are an elusive breed; there are always variations, sometimes hotly argued, but I would say that the essence of any classic recipe […]
Read MoreIt’s been the hottest day of the year so far; seriously hot. I got into my car at one point and it registered 37C. I don’t think it was really that hot outside but close. I like the heat but even for me it was too much. So it was definitely a day for a […]
Read MoreSummer is always a bit like a weather roller coaster ride in UK. Three or four weeks ago we were slathering on the suncream and shops were selling out of electric fans, then a few days later I was digging out my winter boots and a warm jacket. Today has gone back to summer. The […]
Read MoreThis one is for Antonio who apparently had ‘one of the worst Caprese ever’ in New York a couple of nights ago. How can you mess it up? he asked. In their book Two Greedy Italians, Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo speak of it being ‘one of the most famous of Italian dishes’ but warn that […]
Read MoreThe weather breathed a gentle, warm sigh of summer over London today. I woke to the sound of birdsong. I’ve noticed it so much more over the past few weeks. But the dawn chorus is too early for me as we head close to the longest day so I went back to sleep. When it […]
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