Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
After making the Carrot Caponata a couple of nights ago from the book accompanying Jamie Oliver’s new TV series, Jamie Cooks Italy, it was fairly inevitable that I would be sitting in front of my TV at 8.30pm last night, tuned into Channel 4, ready to watch the first episode. I was very enthusiastic about […]
Read MoreHere I am still in Italian mode. If it’s been a theme of the past week, it’s certainly a theme in my life – learning Italian, Italian friends, cooking Italian food more than any other, travelling to Italy at least once or twice a year … and being called Nonna (Italian for grandmother) by my little […]
Read MoreWednesday was my Italian day. Fabio came for my fortnightly Italian lesson and I told him about meeting Lucia that evening at La Mia Mamma. That led to him telling me about Prezzemolo & Vitale, an Italian delicatessen, also in King’s Road, Chelsea. Fabio was enthusiastic about how good it was and as Prezzemolo & […]
Read MoreI find that much of life is ruled by diaries and plans and thus a note of spontaneity is always a joy. So when my daughter, Nicola, rang me at around 10am to ask if I was free for a late lunch, I was pleased to be able to say that, yes, I was indeed […]
Read MoreWhen my friend Lucia invited me to join her and husband David for a meal at La Mia Mamma – a restaurant with real Italian mammas in the kitchen – it was an offer impossible to resist. Well, I did actually want to see my friends most of all! But the chance to enjoy an […]
Read MoreAfter my ‘quick fixes’ yesterday, I thought it worth reblogging my guide to easy entertaining from 3 years ago. More time spent in the kitchen doesn’t necessarily translate to better food … and remember you’re supposed to have fun too!
Read MoreMy attitude to preparing meals is very ‘pure’ in the sense that I never buy ready-made meals, I buy good quality – mostly organic – ingredients and keep things simple; an emphasis on cooking Italian style with just a very few ingredients. When I was a young thing with a young family, I used to […]
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 MoreIt was only a short 3-night trip to Burgundy but my friends Di and Tam filled it with some wonderful outings, always with an eye to good food and wine, and so it felt like a really good break. My flight home from Lyon on Friday wasn’t until late afternoon and so the plan was […]
Read MoreTo stay in Burgundy is to stay in one of the best parts of France, rich in history and tradition but also home to some of the best food and wine you will find anywhere in the world. Here you will find famous wines like Chablis, Meursault, Macon, Beaujolais, Gevrey Chamertin, and many others. And […]
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