Amore della Cucina : How it all started..

I've always had a love affair for good food. I was so lucky to have been brought up by my mother who had passed onto me her love, knowledge and enthusiasm for cooking, international cuisine and cookbooks. She would introduce me to a magical world of foodstuffs that she kept stored in kitchen cupboards and at one time, even a walk-in pantry! I was allowed to sample, taste and smell the things used in each homemade dish. Have me take part in putting the dishes together, explaining the methods used and why.

One Christmas I was given my first cookbook, "The Food of Italy" by Claudia Roden. An Italian cookbook as I was going through a phase (those who know me very well will tell you that I have never grown out of) of all things Italian.

This very much loved book and a huge source of my inspiration is still in my possession. Sadly now out of print.

I remember experimenting quite a bit with this book with the then very limited ingredients that I could get hold of to complete any of the recipes. Luckily I lived in Cambridge at the time where there were a few Italian delicatessens.