From Witches to Walnuts…
Beyond its gnarly and undisputed glandular appearance within Christmas nut displays in supermarkets, the unassuming walnut has long been prized – the Romans were especially taken with them, calling…
A festive favourite - the story of the sweet chestnut from Roman times to today.
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” The opening lyric of ‘The Christmas Song’ immortalised by Nat King Cole’s dulcet tones, which are as smooth and sweet as the sweet…
Pumpkin soup - rustic Italian style.
As Halloween is upon us again, pumpkin and parmesan soup is the perfect way to satiate everyone after high jinks at Halloween. Halloween has always been a mixture of…
The story behind the tradition, from ancient Romans, modern-day Rome and beyond…
Why do we exchange chocolate eggs at Easter, and encourage children to search the garden for eggs left by an elusive rabbit..? And what on earth do chocolate eggs…
Learn about the origins of Pancake Day, otherwise known as Shrove or Fat Tuesday.
Pancake Day in Britain and other English speaking countries is also known as Martedi Grasso, in Italy, and Mardi Gras, in France, and can be literally translated as ‘Fat…
Why do we love to celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Like many other special days we mark, such as Mother’s and Father’s Day for instance, maybe we should celebrate and spoil our ‘other halves’, our ‘true loves’, every day…
Continue Christmas into the New Year…Italian-style
As we go back to work, and children school, normality and the daily grind returns. The excitement and anticipation we all felt leaving these places before the holiday, and…
A brief history of a British must-have…
Although found the world over, the umbrella is a quintessentially British necessity. As a nation, we are known the world over, due to our inclement climate, for our almost…
How to Make Italian Grissini Breadsticks.
Forget shop-bought packet bread-sticks which are dry, tasteless and scarily uniform, making Grissini bread-sticks is fun and easy, perfect for a rainy afternoon with the children – they can…
Celebrating a 10th wedding anniversary with pewter.
The union of two people in love is a cause for celebration, whether official or otherwise, religious or relaxed, and most often, across the cultures of the world, the…
