From the land to the table, food and drink have always been my family's passion

My mother, Lorenza de Medici, became famous for her cooking. One of the last scions of the famous Florentine dynasty, Lorenza wanted to introduce the public to a type of culinary experience that had been common amongst the patrician and noble families of pre-war Italy. On extended countryside retreats, these families would convene with professional chefs and trade newly discovered regional delicacies, and favourite recipes from all over the country.

In 1983, she opened one of Italy’s first cooking schools for non-professionals at our family’s winery. And in the years since, she has authored more than 30 cookbooks, becoming a celebrity chef in the US with her own cooking show. Raised in this household, it was inevitable that I would come to treasure traditional Italian dishes with their rustic charm and elegant simplicity. And also, that I would learn to make them the same way that my mother, and generations of Italian chefs before her, did.

Sadly, while I inherited my mother’s recipes, I didn’t inherit her charisma. So, the televised life of a celebrity chef has likely passed me by. But I say that’s TV’s loss, and Liphook’s gain – and once you’ve tried my food, and I’m sure that you’ll agree.