Here is a photo of me with the famous Nonna Marcella! I have spoken about her in my early Blogs - my inspiration to cooking Italian food! I have been to stay with her and her husband Matteo in Castiglione della Pescaia, on the coast in Tuscany near the town of Grosseto. What a wonderful few days, learning new recipes from Marcella. Of course the vegetables are so ripe and fresh, and everything Marcella cooks is locally grown. My favourite dish was the risotto with courgettes, saffron and stracciatella (apparently the ‘in’ thing at the moment!).

For those who have not tried it, Stracciatella is actually a soft, white, creamy buffalo (or sometimes, cow’s) milk cheese made with straccia (little shreds), using a technique that involves stretching and shredding, and from the region of Puglia. (Abbi’s favourite place!).

Much of my time was spent on the beach nearby, and I just loved walking through the pinetta with the sound of crickets and the soft hot sand between my toes wandering down towards the sea. The rest of my few days were spent finding wonderful new dishes for the supper club. I think I had the best ever frittura at the Bottega del Mare! The pizzas looked amazing topped with chunks of salmon. I will definitely have a pizza next time I visit!

Our next supper club is on the 9th July, and full. An interesting two parties coming together, and each one has a Roman connection. I can’t wait to find out more about them, having lived in Rome for eight years!

We are off to Antibes shortly and will refresh our memories of our time spent there, and hopefully find some new restaurants. Then Abbi and her daughter Jessica are off to Italy to see friends in Florence and Puglia. I hope she comes back! I will be back in Yorkshire getting ready for our trip to Burgundy. More of that to follow.

If you have any requests, please get back to us.

Ciao for now Jill & Abbi