And a bit more star. I did enjoy this - especially the earlier part of the book growing up before and through the second world war in Italy - not so much the later part covering her career. The early Oxford and London life had a number of parallels with my mother and father and that gave extra interest - I even wondered if they had met at all. There are also some recipes I may try. ( )

And a bit more star. I did enjoy this - especially the earlier part of the book growing up before and through the second world war in Italy - not so much the later part covering her career. The early Oxford and London life had a number of parallels with my mother and father and that gave extra interest - I even wondered if they had met at all. There are also some recipes I may try. ( )

I'm rather a late-comer to the charms of Anna Del Conte but I absolutely loved this book. Whether describing her rather privileged childhood, her family's life during the Second World War in Italy, life in post-war Britain, her career or just family holidays, Del Conte writes beautifully and evocatively about the places she has lived in and loved, and naturally about the food she has cooked or eaten along the way. Each chapter ends with a small selection of recipes related to the foods, place or period described within it, be it the celebratory feast at the end of the war in Italy or just the polenta biscuits favoured by the children. The recipes are easy to follow and those that I have already tried have been very successful and delicious - and I intend to try many more. My plans include the Baked Tagliatelle with Mushrooms (putting my newly-learned pasta-making skills to good use), Risotto al Limone and the Polentine biscuits - and that may just be for this week! I highly recommend this book, even for those who, like me, don't already have a collection of Anna's recipe books. Her food is enticing, but her life has certainly been eventful and she writes about her fascinating experiences brilliantly in an account that is sometimes moving, sometimes humorous and self-effacing (e.g. her self-confessed 'failures') but always frank and honest. ( )