insideKENT Magazine Issue 85 - April 2019 | Page 107

When researching and planning
the trips, was there anything
you found surprising about
Italian food or its history and
production?
I enjoyed planning the trips, although
I didn’t get any surprises – I’m pretty
knowledgeable about the foods of Italy
as I’ve been travelling there some times
three times a year for 20 years, and
usually spend each August there with
my family.
The trip Food Secrets of Tuscany
is particularly intriguing to me.
Can you give away a taster of
any of those 'secrets' that will
be covered on the holiday?
Many people have, of course, visited
Tuscany but we don’t hit the towns.
Usually it’s Florence or Lucca, or the
fabulous San Giminano, but not many
people I’ve spoken to venture into the
countryside. On this trip, you can see
chestnut production and actually
spend time with shepherds tending
their flock that they have had there
for centuries. As we know, you're a fellow Kent resident. How have you seen the
Kent food scene change over the years?
Do you do a lot of Italian cooking
at home? What's your favourite
dish? Are there any local restaurants you'd recommend that bring a true
taste of Italy to Kent?
We eat a lot of Italian food at home.
My wife is an incredible Italian cook,
as is her mother – I’ve learned so much
from them. I can now knock up fresh
pasta in minutes and my mother-in-
law tells me I make the best pizza
outside Napoli, but she might not be
telling the truth. One of my favourite
dishes is crespelle, my Anna layers
these pancakes and fills them with
cheese and truffle, amazing!
I now live out in the countryside where the pace of change is very slow. However,
I was a resident of Whitstable for many years and watched with delight as that
truly became a food destination. I miss going down to the harbour and having
a bowl of cockles for breakfast.
I have found a fantastic little Italian restaurant in Tunbridge Wells called La
Follia. It’s a brilliantly scruffy little place run by an Italian husband and wife and
that is proper, proper Italian food.
www.authenticadventures.com
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