The charismatic and much loved Antonio Carluccio cannot easily be pigeon-holed. Not a chef, yet so much more than a cook; not a businessman by his own admission, yet he is the originator of the highly successful Carluccio's brand.
His passion for good, simple and flavoursome cooking, not to mention a great love of mushrooms, has inspired countless millions who have seen his television series and read his books on Italian food and life.
In this interview he talks about his earliest memories of food and shares anecdotes of his family and childhood in war-time Italy as well as the birth of Carluccio's. And by the way, there are even some English dishes he loves!
The quintessential English summer drink has to be Pimms. Or Pimms No. 1 to be precise.
Wimbledon is starting tomorrow and this English gin sling is what we want, despite the current lack of sunshine. Jane MacQuitty of The Times has sussed out how to make it from scratch for a version, "Cheat's Pimms", that packs more of a punch than the original which has been degraded over the years.
The basic recipe is quite simply:
1 measure of 40% gin
1 measure of red vermouth
1/2 measure of Bols Orange Curacao
Top up with a decent lemonade, ice, cucumber, borage (or mint) and see you on Henman Hill!
I was somewhat taken aback to discover that a local deli/restaurant has started charging for a glass of tap water. DelAziz, a popular hangout in Fulham, put on 10p per glass of water for myself and my companion. This was not for walking into the place asking for plain water and not ordering anything else but asking for some water to go with our meal. That's the last time I'll frequent the place. Has anyone else experienced such mean spirited service?
The quintessential English summer drink has to be Pimms. Or Pimms No. 1 to be precise.
