Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
I couldn’t resist a bunch of English asparagus in Waitrose a couple of days ago; it’s almost the end of the short season (April – June) and fresh English asparagus is so delicious. I decided to cook it this evening with some eggs. It’s become a habit of mine on Tuesday evenings, when I go […]
Read MoreA crostata di marmellata by its English name would simply be a ‘jam tart’. I was inspired to make this Tuscan version following my recent week in Tuscany. Unlike its sophisticated French cousin – the tarte – the crostata is a rustic affair. It’s the kind of simple tart put together by your nonna (grandmother). A real nonna, […]
Read MoreWe’ve been having a lot of barbecues recently on Sundays but the weather wasn’t great today and I had a few things in my fridge to use up before going away tomorrow: lots of tomatoes, a small head of fennel, some sweet peppers, a buffalo mozzarella … I decided to buy some chicken and make […]
Read MoreMy 4-year-old grandson Freddie loves apricot Danish pastries. Whenever we go to a cafe for morning coffee and babyccino, given free rein to choose a pastry, Freddie will invariably go for the apricot variety (though Pain au Chocolat is a close second). When I was shopping yesterday for today’s family Sunday meal and saw apricots, […]
Read MoreThe family often come for a meal at the weekend, usually Sunday, which is lovely. We always like to make it special in some way, as families do on Sundays. I keep it easy though. Rather than a formal ‘starter’, I’ll put out bowls of olives and almonds; I’ll buy some good focaccia or fougasse […]
Read MoreIt’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 MoreWhite asparagus seems to divide opinion much like the proverbial Marmite (you love it or you hate it). While some dismiss it as tasteless and uninteresting, others revere it as something luxurious and very special. My first memory of it puts me in the former group: horrid, slimy white asparagus in tins, as I sampled […]
Read MorePanelle alla ceci – chickpea fritters – are a popular street food in Sicily. I haven’t been to Sicily for many years but have eaten panelle in London, most memorably from a Sicilian street-food stall at Mercato Metropolitano in London. Here – as you can see below – they were fried to order and placed […]
Read MoreOne of my favourite restaurants in London is Bancone and I’ve been to it a few times since it opened in August last year. The first time I went I had this amazing paccheri and cod dish that I loved so much, I had it the second time too. I’ve often thought about trying to […]
Read MoreWho doesn’t like meatballs in tomato sauce? Well, vegetarians of course. But they are the ultimate comfort food and with Storm Gareth raging across the UK in the last few days, bringing damage-threatening winds and a bitter cold in the air, something warm and comforting was definitely needed. I usually take an Italian route to […]
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