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…
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…
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…
How to make the perfect Tiramisu: an iconic Italian dessert.
Although perceived as an iconic Italian classic, the history of Tiramisu is a recent and somewhat contested one. Several different claims have been made, but the common ground is…
How to make a Mediterranean salad - to be dressed up or down...
Cleopatra’s ‘Salad Days’ coined by Shakespeare in the early 17th Century in Antony & Cleopatra – meaning green in judgement and cool in blood – have evolved over the…
Simple sustenance: Pasta, Pesto & Green Beans recipe.
Simple Italian cooking for weeknight suppers can’t get much easier than pasta, pesto & green beans. I find this is a perfect spring-time recipe when you still need comforting…
The Yin & Yang of the dinner table… with a sprinkle of good luck.
Both salt and pepper have from time immemorial been highly valued commodities, traded, smuggled, sold and bartered far across the world. They are deeply embedded in our universal consciousness…
