THE RECIPES

Mary first met Carlo’s mother, Annunziata, while she was on honeymoon in Italy in September 1979.

She describes her grandmother-in-law’s cooking as revelatory.

“From a tiny scullery, she managed to feed all of her family, up to 20 people twice a day, and with a magical enthusiasm and alchemy she introduced me to the most flavoursome, exquisite and mouthwatering food I had ever tasted,” Mary explained.

“She had no concept of ‘food waste’. Every morsel was shared among too many mouths.”