If you, like me, are swimming in a sea of zucchini at the moment, you may appreciate this recipe. I love zucchini bread, zucchini and lime cake, zucchini and almond pesto for my pasta but I have just made this … Read More
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Rose & pistachio cake. Made with real roses!
If you have un-sprayed roses in bloom right now, use them to make this delicious and spectacular cake. Any colour roses will do, so long as they are fragrant. The recipe 250g/9oz softened butter 250g/9oz caster sugar + extra for … Read More
Delicious Italian gluten free cakes
We see an ever-larger need for gluten-free recipes here at our agriturismo in Chianti, Podere Patrignone. Gluten intolerance is on the increase, particularly amongst our guests from the US. Some think it’s down to how wheat is grown in the US, … Read More
Honey and rosemary cake
Whenever the rosemary is in bloom, as it is now, I start to think about making this delicious cake. It makes a great cake for Easter or anyother time when you have delicate rosemary flowers available. Torta di rosmarino e … Read More
Day-trips in Tuscany #2 – The Hills of Northern Chianti
Guests who come to stay at our Chianti villa rentals near Castellina in Chianti are often looking for day-trip ideas. A couple of weeks back I described our most popular day-trip, to San Gimignano and Volterra. This week I’m heading north of Patrignone … Read More
The Easiest Bread Ever
Nothing beats the smell of freshly cooked bread, the perfect antidote to a cold, damp winter’s day. I get enormous pleasure from making all kinds of bread, and although I bake most days of the year, I bake a lot … Read More
Day-trips in Tuscany #1 – San Gimignano, Colle & Volterra
Guests at our agriturismo in Chianti are always asking us for ideas for day-trips, and so we’ve got good and creating manageable tours that won’t leave you exhausted. And here’s the first. It’s one of our most popular days out. … Read More
Pasta fagioli – a winter winner!
We have this dish throughout the year, it’s one of our staple meals – and the kids love it! But it’s especially nice and warming in the winter with lashings of fresh-pressed olive oil. It’s super-quick, super-good for you, and … Read More
Our latest newsletter – Dec 2016
Sorry we’re a bit late posting this to the blog, but things get a bit crazy here at Christmas. Anyway, better late than never, right? So here it is. Just click on the thumbnail and it’ll take to straight to the … Read More
The last wine fair, in a magical town…
The grapes are in, and the season of chianti wine festivals comes to a close with the smallest event in the calendar, the Montefioralle Divino. First, a bit about Montefioralle, a charming little town in the hills just to the west of Greve in … Read More