A different kind of blog this time as the other day I made a beetroot tarte tatin and it was just so delicious I had to share! Beetroot Tarte Tatin Serves 4 4 medium beetroot 4 cloves garlic 3 medium onions 1 tbs butter 2 tbs olive oil 2 tsp thyme leaves 3 tbs balsamic vinegar 1 tbs sugar 200-250g …

Late summer truffles (tartufi neri estivi) The recent rains followed by more sun and heat have brought the smell of mushrooms to the surrounding woods, so we shall be out and about searching for the best funghi – hopefully we’ll even find some porcini to make into delicious sauces and for drying.  Despite it still being summer, it definitely feels …

This month I fulfilled a long held ambition to make my own cheese!  It was only a simple ricotta (bring 1l milk nearly to the boil, add the juice of a lemon and a splash of white wine vinegar, turn off and leave to cool for 10 mins then drain through muslin), but it was delicious.  I hope to make …

We’re not yet able to keep our own pigs so this year we were lucky enough to get a beautiful cross breed Cinta Senese (considered the finest pork in Italy) free range pig from a nearby farm and we were very much looking forward to all the delicious porky products that we could get from the 145kg animal. It’s a …