Gerard Depardieu

Feel a bit like his character in Jean de Florette at the moment as the pump for the water tank that supplies all the outside taps is broken so we are having to siphon water from the house water tank and water the garden and veg patch by hand. It's blistering hot as well.

Life on the land eh.

We are nearly there...

It's getting very very close. Can you feel it?

The recipes have been cooked and eaten. Cooked and eaten. Cooked and eaten again. The text has come together and the photos all taken. The design been designed. and now it's at the printer............

Adopt a cockney accent and ...

Onions. Lovely onions. Look at these lovely onions. I bet you know your onions missus. What do think of these lovely beauties. Plump and lovely. C'mon what you gonna offer me for these.

Roveja 2

These are the roveja or wild peas that I sowed back in February which are now fully dried. They have a very earthy dense flavour which I really like especially in a vegetarian chilli.

Where will you be...

Sunday 24th June, 19.45 GMT 20.45 CET

Well I'll be in Piazza Garabaldi watching the Italy vs England game on the big screen after having had a pizza at the Casarecchia.

Who will win? England better!

E voila!

Soap for the house of Margherita that needs to dry for a few weeks.

The fine art of saponification

Great use for cheap supermarket olive oil - make it into soap.

We had recently run out of the last batch of soap so today it was time to make some more. It is very easy. You need olive oil water and lye. Mix them together adding scent and colour if you wish. Leave the mixture for 24 hours and then cut into bars and leave to dry for 4 to 6 weeks.