Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
Years ago, when I was regularly cooking family meals and hosting dinner parties, Marcella Hazan’s Fagiolini verdi con peperoni e pomodoro – French beans with peppers and tomatoes – from her iconic The Classic Italian Cookbook, was a favourite side dish to make. It’s a great dish to accompany simply cooked meat – like grilled or […]
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It’s my eldest grandson Freddie’s 8th birthday. I’ve been making the same cake ever since his first birthday – The 1st Birthday Cake – and followed the recipe again today. In fact, I’ve made it more than eight times for my son Jonathan now has three boys, so there’s Ben (5) and Alex (2) as […]
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I always make my own pesto. Partly this is because the jars once opened have to be used up fairly quickly and they are usually too big for one person – and mainly I’m cooking just for myself. But really, the main reason is taste: there is just no bought pesto that comes close to […]
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We’re lucky to have a lot of good cafes in Twickenham but we’re always drawn to the Italian ones. The family have frequented Corto Italian Deli for years and it’s a favourite but a few months ago I decided to give the newer Buongiorno cafe, which is much nearer my house, a try. It’s nice […]
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It had been a long time since I was last at Bancone. Well, pre-pandemic. After my first visit in August 2018 (click here), it became a favourite haunt where I ate many times and took friends and family along to enjoy too. Would it be the same? Would I still rate it as one of […]
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It’s always lovely to go up to Worcestershire for the weekend to visit my daughter. I go from busy city living to a weekend in a 16th century farmhouse surrounded by fields and beautiful views. And, most importantly, I get to spend some time with my lovely daughter, her wife, and my 4-year-old grandson. It […]
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I have to confess to being more than a little late to the party. The first series of Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy to be shown in UK earlier this year has achieved almost cult status amongst its fans. Is there anyone who hasn’t watched and loved it? And now, to this blogger’s great delight, […]
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Those of us who love Italy are always thinking of ways to bring some of it home – recipes to make in your kitchen; beautiful pottery from the Amalfi coast; glass from Murano; chocolate from Turin. Russell Norman, however, opens restaurants. First he brought Venice to London in the shape of Polpo; now he brings […]
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It’s just a few steps out of the back of The Cross Keys pub in Aldeburgh, where I’m staying, on to the beach. It wasn’t quite as early as the above photo suggests but actually 8.30am when I was heading out for a short walk before breakfast. However there were many clouds overhead, so dark […]
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I loved Aldeburgh so much when I visited for the first time earlier this year that I immediately booked a return trip. I wanted to stay at The Cross Keys pub again and as they only have three bedrooms, they get booked up very quickly and far in advance. The Cross Keys, apart from being […]
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