Posts Tagged “Italian”

Italy: The World Vegetarian is a vibrant volume penned by Christine Smallwood. It will delight vegetarians but, just as importantly, it will also be welcomed by lovers of Italian food of every kind. I confess! I am not a vegetarian and will likely never be one. I do, however, only eat meat a couple of…

Luxardo Aperitivo – a glow in a glass Established in 1821 by Girolamo Luxardo, this celebrated company is still entirely controlled by the same founding family. Luxardo is perhaps best known for its iconic cherry products, but Luxardo Aperitivo is something rather different. Luxardo Aperitivo takes its inspiration from the civilized Italian tradition of appetite-enhancing…

This is a wonderful find. Sous Chef is an online portal selling high-end kitchen goods. They will be the one-stop shop for all my gifts for food lovers for the foreseeable future. The Sous Chef web page is filled with everything a home cook would ever want and great quality products too. They have tortilla…

Happy #NationalVegetarianWeek and this recipe from Burpee Seeds Europe is the perfect way to celebrate! Pan-Fried Potato Gnocchi, Sautéed Honeycomb Tomatoes and Spinach (devised by Valerie Hamelin Chef Consultant) is the latest recipe from Burpee Europe. They support gardeners with their seeds to allow all of us to grow a little closer to our food….

From BBC Food Try this stripped down ravioli recipe by Simon Rimmer – classic gnudi is ravioli without the pasta casing. Ingredients 225g/8oz peas, cooked, cooled, roughly chopped 500g/1lb 2oz ricotta, drained 1 tbsp freshly chopped mint 100g/3½oz parmesan 500g/1lb 2oz fine semolina extra virgin olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper…

Did you ever watch the movie ‘Moonstruck’ with Cher? It’s one of my top ten films of all time. Much of the action is set in the family kitchen – a room of significant proportions and a great deal of charm. We witness breakfast being made (in fact a couple of those) and dinner being…

From Whole Foods Market Serves 6 to 8 Packed with vegetables, beans and pasta, this soup is a meal in itself. Serve Hearty Minestrone Soup with crusty bread and a green salad. Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 1 cup…

The M.V.M. Cappellin Glassworks and the Young Carlo Scarpa is a new publication in the series “Le Stanze del Vetro”, a project on Venetian glassmaking in the 20th century, from a successful partnership of the Fondazione Cini and Pentagram Stiftung. This sumptuous book from the renowned Skira publishing company is associated with the autumn exhibition…

Here it is again! Seems like the pine needles from last year’s Christmas tree have just been extracted from the carpet, and mince pies are back in the shops! Where did that year go? Now, I am a lover of a good mince pie, and a Christmas would not be complete with out a box…

There are several popular varieties of cocktail cherry. Most of them are bright enough to read a book by and sticky enough to become the candy of choice of any 5-year-old with a sweet tooth. No, not all cherries are created equal, so it’s worth doing some homework and buying the best. That would be…

We had visited this delightful and intimate hotel before (read my reviews here). The Garden House is part of the Beaverbrook Estate and the smaller of the two hotels, the other being the lavish and imposing main house which was once the home of Lord Beaverbrook, one of the most influential men of the last…

We all, I am sure, remember our Nan’s cherry brandy on the sideboard at Christmas; and then there is the cherry alcohol one uses for fondue. They are very much part of the ‘spirit’ family of drinks. Then there is Maraschino Luxardo, which is a sweet liqueur, and an indispensable bottle behind any bar…

The Beaverbrook Estate is a one-stop resort for almost everything, and those everythings will be to a very high standard. The House, the more formal hotel, is large and from the outside looks rather imposing, but is in truth stylish and accessible. There is a smaller building on the estate and that’s the Garden House…

Ettore Sottsass (1917 – 2007) was an Italian architect and designer. His body of work included furniture, jewellery, glass, lighting, and strangely, office equipment, which later became iconic and collectable. Items such as typewriters were masterpieces of colour, form and contemporary styling. He also designed many buildings and interiors. Sottsass was born in Innsbruck, Austria,…

Ember Yard is the fourth restaurant from the celebrated Salt Yard Group. It has an enviable location off Oxford Street. Yes, ‘off’ is preferable to ‘on’ in this case. These streets are for those in the know rather than those who are lost on the way to Primark. There is great food to be had…

Anna Del Conte is, or so says The Times, ‘The queen of Italian cuisine’ and she is certainly an iconic writer. The original edition (1996) of ‘Classic Food of Northern Italy’ won both The Guild of Food Writers Book Award and the Orio Vergani prize of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina. This is an updated…

Both afternoon tea and The Criterion are icons. The first is quintessentially British; the second a long-standing London destination for fine food, and one which has been frequented by the great and the good for around a century and a half. Thomas Verity, a British architect, won a competition to build The Criterion; work began…

Many a cookbook reviewer will start their article with statements of impartiality, even-handedness and cool, professional aloofness. Not me. On this occasion, at least. I am pinning my culinary colours to Valentina Harris’s gastronomic mast with a degree of unashamed pride. This lady has been a supporter of Italian wine, produce and cooking for decades….

This truly is a ‘garden’ house with the intimate character of a cosy cottage. (Read more about the Garden House here.) It’s part of the Beaverbrook Estate and the smaller of two hotels, the other being the lavish and imposing main house which was once the home of Lord Beaverbrook, one of the most influential…

Discerning diners in Milan and the great and the good from the rest of the world will know of Savini. It will likely have been the venue for their international business meetings, smart lunches, family celebrations and perhaps a marriage proposal or two. It is, in short, a restaurant of impeccable pedigree and holding the…