Ermes, a real taste of Italy

We are in Modena, Emilia-Romagna, in the north of Italy. Famous for its balsamic vinegar, Ferrari and, of course, Massimo Bottura and his three star restaurant, Osteria Francescana. This was to be a pivotal part of our trip to Italy; not quite the reason for going,...

My favourite ingredient for July

This is a choice that is partially influenced by a recent trip to Italy, as cherries were more than abundant in the Emilia-Romagna region. I was amazed at the choice of varieties in the markets and on roadside stalls. We also saw them growing in many places, both in...

Passion in the vineyard

Alessandro Bartolini, brickmaker and builder turned wine maker, walks along his rows of vines energetically twisting and pushing tendrils into their correct place on the trellises. The Chardonnay is coming on nicely but the other varieties are later and have only just...

Postcard from Florence

I am not a born traveller. I suffer from that very English fear of doing the wrong thing, not being understood and have never had any real aptitude for language, so a long trip to Italy was a little daunting! We are however here and have had an exhilarating trip so...

My favourite ingredient for June

English garden peas squeezed out of the pod and popped straight into your mouth are a real joy and would also be my preferred choice for cooking with when they are at their best. This is however one of those vegetables that freezes really well, so don’t ignore...

Sienna Restaurant -That’s it Folks!

So Saturday April 25th was our last service at Sienna and we certainly gave ourselves a challenging night to end on! We decided that it wouldn’t feel right to do a normal service to finish up, so we combined forces with No 35 Coffee House and Kitchen, our next...