Diversity in the world of cookery books is a good thing, a very good thing indeed. For decades, the UK food publishing world has been dominated by white authors. Writers of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds have struggled to get a seat at the table, and when they do, they’re often pigeonholed into titles tied ... Read more »
There’s something deeply comforting about the combination of gnocchi, cream and blue cheese with the lovely freshness of purple sprouting broccoli. Baking the dish intensifies flavours and creates a bubbling brown surface; the result is something rather special yet really simple to make. We use ready-made fresh potato gnocchi from the supermarket which makes the ... Read more »
Cinnamon and Salt: Cicchetti in Venice: Small Bites From the Lagoon City by Emiko Davies is a cookbook reader’s book, a title for those who are as eager to read about the culture, history and stories of a cuisine as they are to make the recipes. Cicchetti (pronounced chi-ke-tee) are small morsels of food served alongside ... Read more »
Tomatoes are one of my favourite vegetables (yes, fruits) of the summer. A full-flavour, sun-ripened tomato is such a joy, it needs a light touch that lets it shine whilst elevating it to its very best. This Aeolian-style tomato salad recipe from Sicilia by Ben Tish achieves that perfectly, pairing sweet tomatoes with anchovies, capers, ... Read more »
Sicily is high up on my ‘must visit’ list. I’ve watched many travelogues and cookery programmes covering the opulent geography, the history crafted by the positioning of Sicily between Europe and North Africa, and the cuisine blending Italian and Arab influences in its own unique way. In Sicilia Ben Tish does a fine job in ... Read more »
Eating your way through Naples Naples (Napoli) is an exciting city with lots to see and discover, including many great historical sites. It’s also an excellent destination for lovers of art and theatre, including ballet and opera. BA, Easyjet and Ryanair all fly direct in under 3 hours from London and the city offers a lot ... Read more »
Tiramisu is a popular classic for good reason! Who could fail to love this creamy dessert with its booze-and-coffee-soaked sponge fingers? It’s often described as the Italian version of a British trifle, with its alternating layers of delicousness. However you describe it, this two-booze tiramisu from Letitia Clark’s Bitter Honey is a crowd-pleaser! Head over ... Read more »
As I’ve never really understood the appeal of bread sauce served with roasted meat, I strongly identified with Letitia Clark’s story about her boyfriend Luca’s horror at the idea of it. Bread sauce isn’t a tradition in Italy, but cooking meat in milk is a much loved classic, with the milk turning into a sweet, ... Read more »
These Slow-cooked Flat Beans with Tomato, Pancetta and Chilli are the first dish our cookery book reviewer Jack cooked when putting Letitia Clark’s Bitter Honey to the test. Although the book focuses on Sardinian recipes, Clark points out that similar recipes are cooked all over Italy, and across the Mediterranean region. Jack really enjoyed its ... Read more »
Bitter Honey, released in April 2020, shares recipes and stories from the island of Sardinia. Author Letitia Clark has a background working in the restaurant industry, and splits her time between London and rural Sardinia. Knowing little about Sardinian food (within the broader Italian cuisine we encounter in the UK), I am keen to learn ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]