Yummy Italy

13/08/2026

Ahhh, it’s those Bologna Hills again. Downtown in the elegant Via Saragozza lies one of my favourite bistrots . In the summer they team up with the winery to create one of Bologna’s most popular evening venues overlooking the vineyards. Fabulous food, fine cocktails and some of the best wines in the Bologna Hills. If you want to check out this beautiful place, you will need to book well in advance. A super special mention to the staff: if the service industry wants to know how it’s done, then the staff here are true perfection; attentive, quick, charismatic and utterly professional 💖💫

29/07/2026

05/06/2026

I get a phone call from for a last minute aperitivo. Who am I to say no? And it was just the right timing to take advantage of one of my favourite aperitivo tricks in Italy? Arrive early.
Many restaurants that don’t usually serve aperitivo will happily welcome you for a drink and a few bites if you arrive when they open, before dinner service gets into full swing. It’s a wonderful way to sample local specialties without committing to a full meal.
This beautiful aperitivo in the Bologna Hills included crescentine, some amazing cheeses, and a gorgeous red cabbage stew with apple.
And then there was the spritz.
Or rather, a vermouth spritz with vermouth from
Most visitors associate a spritz with Aperol or Select, but the word “spritz” actually comes from the German spritzen, meaning “to spray” or “to squirt”. Historically, Austrian soldiers in the Veneto would add a splash of water to local wines, creating the ancestor of today’s spritz.
The important thing to remember is that a spritz is a style of drink, not a brand.
So next time you’re in Italy, ask what else is behind the bar. Many places stock wonderful artisan vermouths, amari, bitters and fortified wines that make for a far more interesting aperitivo than the usual (and not-to-my-taste) sweet, orange crowd pleaser.
You might discover a new favourite.
Have you ever tried a vermouth spritz?
🍹

15/05/2026

Some courses stay with you long after they end.
Last year, I completed a course in Culinary Psychology run by the University of Oxford, after the programme had been developed and tested for several years at Harvard - and it became one of the most fascinating and transformative learning experiences I’ve ever had.
Considering the number of diplomas and specialisations I’ve completed over the years, from Sommelier studies to qualifying as a Sensory Analyst and Taste Judge, that says a lot.
Last week, my tutors Stelios Kiosses, Prof. Beth Frates, and Neil Rippington launched their new book Culinary Psychology, together with Prof. Charles Spence, Chef Jozef Youssef, and Chef Andreas Antona and I was honoured to have been able to attend.
What I loved most about this field is the way it brings together science, psychology, sensory perception, flavour, emotion, memory, and wellbeing, all through food.
The book explores Lifestyle Medicine, Food Psychology, Gastrophysics, and Sensory Insight in a way that completely changes how you think about eating and experiencing food.
For me, it reinforced something I’ve always deeply believed: food is not only nourishment, it is culture, emotion, perception, memory, but most importantly, connection.
And I truly believe this is only the beginning of where the future of food, hospitality, and wellbeing is heading.

22/04/2026

Spring is here in the Bologna hills. Checking out the vineyards today to make sure they are looking healthy 🍷 🍾. Further up the hill I took a video of the views. People visit the city of Bologna but rarely explore the surrounding areas which are stunning. Hiring a car even just for a day and exploring the hills can make your heart sing. When planning your trip to Bologna, stay an extra day and check out the ‘Colli Bolognesi’. You’ll be glad you did 💖
🍇

05/04/2026

One shop in Bologna . Hundreds of Easter treats.
Happy Easter 🐣
🐣 ❤️

23/03/2026

Stuff that really happens… and you couldn’t make it up..

Private pasta class on flavoured doughs:
Student: Are you using the Dill Dough?
Me: Yes, I’m using the Dill Dough

Pause. Realisation. 😂
***o

18/03/2026

now opened downtown Bologna. Check it out when you’re in town.

05/03/2026

is one of Bologna’s most illustrious chefs. After spending a couple of years in the USA where he promoted the authentic cuisine of Emilia Romagna, he is now back and has opened this little gem of a fish restaurant in downtown Bologna. It’s perfect for when you get pork fatigue. The menu is simple but experimental with unusual but delicious flavour combinations. I went for the first time a couple of weeks ago but can’t wait to go back for more seafood deliciousness. Definitely worth checking out when the traditional Bolognese menu becomes a tad monotonous.

22/01/2026

When I take guests on a food tour through Bologna, I often serve a selection of local Pecorino cheeses from Emilia-Romagna. Most people tend to look a little perplexed but almost without fail, someone looks at the board and asks: “But… aren’t these all the same cheese?”
No. And this is where the great Pecorino misunderstanding begins.

Pecorino has a consolidated identity problem, and it’s not its fault. Outside Italy, it’s usually treated as a single, interchangeable cheese, often labelled simply as “Romano” and destined for the pasta pot. Inside Italy, however, Pecorino is something entirely different: not one cheese, but a vast and ancient family, shaped by landscapes, sheep breeds, seasonal movement, and millennia of trade, migration, and culinary obsession. Solving Pecorino’s identity crisis means unlearning a few assumptions and discovering why this humble sheep’s cheese has been quietly telling one of the most fascinating stories in Mediterranean food culture all along.

Outside Italy, chefs, restaurants and the uninformed media just dump ‘Pecorino’ into a single metaphorical milk can. Scrolling through social media posts written by so-called ‘cheese experts’ there is so much inaccuracy in their descriptions. In the US, it’s mostly referred to as “Romano”, as this is probably the variety that is best known. Originally produced in the Rome and Lazio areas, the DOP versions are also officially made in Sardinia and in the province of Grosseto in Tuscany. It is used predominantly for pasta dishes like Cacio e Pepe or Carbonara. Recently, I even heard a well-known British chef describe Pecorino as “a famous cheese from southern Italy”. At which point my almond milk nearly curdled. And since nothing could be further than the truth, I thought it time to clear up the ‘Great Pecorino Confusion’ once and for all.

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