This is the real Italy, from an eating point of view. The photos bring you as close to the food and people as possible without being there, not to mention being very helpful in knowing how a dish ought to look. Each recipe is situated in its local context, often connected to friends and real individuals the authors have come to know during their frequent trips. It also contains tons of useful tips on what ingredients to buy to get authentic flavour. So far I have made the pork chops with cannellini beans and the pasta with anchovies - both were simple and as delicious as my memories of Italy. If you have to buy one of the River Cafe cookery books, or one Italian cookery book, for that matter, this is definitely the one!