*** updated 2019 *** It is no secret to those who know me well that recently London has become a little unbearable for me. As much as I love the opportunities, the events, the culture and the friends I have, I hate the traffic, the noise, the dirt, the chicken bones on the floor (it should be an offence to litter with those!) and so forth. I was longing to spend a few days away, but somewhere we could take…
Seggiano is the name of the small hilltop village on Monte Amiata in southern Tuscany, where Peri Eagleton and David Harrison have farmed organic olives since 1985. Twenty years ago they started selling their local Olivastra Seggianese extra virgin olive oil and a selection of wonderful artisan foods from small family food producers. Their brand is SEGGIANO, named in honour of the village where the story started. Their product range is pretty extensive with some very good options from savoury…
Si e’ sempre meridionali di qualcuno… This phrase (‘you are always southerner to someone else’) was made famous by a Neapolitan movie in the 80s (Cosi’ Parlo’ Bellavista), a funny, heartwarming satire about stereotypes between North and South in Italy. I am meridionale, from the south and a lot of the food and places I cover in this blog belong to my meridionale heritage indeed. So when I was asked to try an Italian restaurant called Meridionale, which proposes classic…
A trip to Leeds Since we had seen him on Great British Menu as a contestant a few years ago, we’d been fans of Michael O’Hare, the chef owner of quirkily named The Man Behind the Curtain. For me, it was also his 1980s looks that brought me back to my teenage years when I used to listen to goth music but occasionally wouldn’t mind a chat to my heavy metal fan neighbour. In any case, Michael suddenly became famous,…
Campari brings the spirit of Milano’s Navigli to London’s canals A bright red canal boat is moored for a few days by Granary Square, and it is host to Campari’s very own floating bar, to promote the classic Italian drink and its versatility in cocktails and aperifs. The Navigli are an area of Milan famous for its bars, restaurants and nightlife, and the name itself means pretty much ‘canals’. Navigli are ocated southwest of the city’s historical centre. The most…