This week’s book is a big one—quite literally—as it is over 700 pages of incredible information about the food of Italy. ‘The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking’ by Marcella Hazan is a real go-to for a technique, a style, a recipe, a dish, a classic favourite, or how to do something. It has hundreds of recipes and guides you through the basics to slightly more complex dishes. It is a valuable book to have on your shelf, although a bit daunting due to the size.

This was given to me as a gift from my youngest son Louis and his girlfriend Frank, who is from Sicily. Some of you may recall our carbonara cookery competition, which I lost. This was given as an olive branch, as I was in a huff, and to teach me how to cook proper Italian food—and it is very good. No pictures here, but a few good illustrations about how to fill ravioli or roll pasta, but it is a book to read, not to gaze at images. Trust me, everyone would get something from this book. Nigella Lawson said, “If this were the only cookbook you owned, neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored.” I agree.