Foraging in autumn and the benefits of surrounding yourself in nature

Last weekend I went foraging in the woods with my friend Antonio. Antonio is originally from Italy but has been living in the UK since he was 26 years old; he married my “cooking friend” Rosetta. Whenever I visit them there is always a freshly baked cake or something delicious cooking in the oven. Rosetta…

Chef Aldo Zilli makes pasta alla chitarra

During the past 8 years as a blogger I have been fortunate enough to meet several well known British chefs and get cookery lessons from them as well. Most of them were Italians or somehow they had a link with Italy. Because of the power of the media, you see these people on television and…

Holidays in Puglia

Long time no hear. Well, this has been the longest gap I had in between posts. Things have been hectic over here as I have now gone back into full time employment after a long 12 year gap at home looking after the children… and blogging of course. I felt it was time for me…

Our family reunion – Midsummer barbecue in Italy

Summer is nearly over and here I am feeling nostalgic again. Every year is the same when I come back from Italy taking with me all those fond memories of sunshine and the time spent with my Italian relatives. This year, summer was particularly good; first we visited Puglia and then we went up North…

Freshly made pasta from Emilia Romagna and the gnocco fritto

Many well known top quality Italian foods come from Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy; to name just a few think of prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, balsamic vinegar from Modena and Parmigiano Reggiano. This is also the place where you can find an incredible variety of fresh delicious pasta. Think of tortellini, cappellacci, lasagne or tagliatelle…

Organic sourdough pizza at Pizzeria Alice in London

Let me tell you where you can eat a superb quality pizza in London. This place has a curious name: “Pizzeria Radio Alice”, named after an Italian pirate radio station and founded by two brothers Matteo and Salvatore with their friend Emma. Their pizza recipe comes from Bologna from their popular pizzerias named “Berbere”. They…

An evening with Parmigiano Reggiano and Eleonora Galasso

If you open my freezer you will see lots of chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano carefully arranged like sardines in a tin to ensure that I can fit as many as possible.. sometimes I wish I had a second freezer. Before flying back to the UK from Italy I always plan ahead how much Parmigiano I…

The great annual pig festival!

Here we are again, in north eastern Italy in the region of “Friuli Venezia Giulia”. Our friends the “fratelli ” (the brothers) hosted the traditional mega pig festival in celebration of all things that are PIG. This is one of the long lost traditions you rarely find these days.  Everybody celebrating, eating, drinking and laughing.…

Italian artisan sausage and salame making

Think of how generations have changed. These days if you ask a child which is the best day of the year he/she would probably say: “My birthday” or “Christmas time”. During post war days when my dad was at school and the teacher would ask the same question to her pupils, they would reply in…

The Rialto market in Venice.. a must-see if you love food

If you visit Venice and you love food then you must pay a visit to the Rialto market. As you walk from the station towards St. Marks square, where most tourists head to, I would recommend a visit to this extensive and vibrant food market. Recently I was in Venice with my family and when…