'I was lucky enough to grow up in a family of foodies: my brother is a chef, my mum is a great cook, and my dad is a wonderful eater! No wonder I have such a passion for the food of my homeland.'

In her second cookbook, Italian-born Silvia Colloca returns to the villages where she spent her childhood, in the regions of Abruzzo, Marche and Molise. Reuniting with family and close friends, Silvia celebrates the incredible array of fresh produce, its marked regional variations, and how this affects the local cuisine. With her trademark warmth and good humour, Silvia shares family stories and recipes that are close to her heart, and shows how simply a handful of seasonal ingredients can be transformed into something truly exceptional, including homemade ricotta, roast potatoes with bay leaves and cured pork cheek, handmade noodles with monkfish ragu, wine-drenched peaches with mascarpone cream and the intriguing-sounding 'bear's cake'!