BUON NATALE!
Prosecco, pasta and panettone are all on the menu at Lydia and Irene Forte’s Italian-inspired family festivities. By Frances Hedges
Celebrate Italian style with the fabulous Forte sisters
‘The thing about Christmas is that more is always more,’ says Irene Forte, watching as another festive flourish is added to the corner table of Heinz Beck’s Italian restaurant at Brown’s Hotel. Pine cones and bowls of dried oranges nestle amid glasses of prosecco, piping-hot tortellini and a splendid-looking panettone that Lydia Forte says is essential to proceedings. ‘It’s typical for almost everyone in Italy,’ she says. ‘When we spend Christmas with our mother’s family in Tuscany, we have an enormous one as the centrepiece and a smaller one that we eat drizzled in homemade chocolate sauce.’
An aptitude for hospitality runs deep in the Forte family. Lydia, Irene and their brother Charles all work for Rocco Forte Hotels, founded by their father Rocco and his sister Olga Polizzi in 1996. While Irene is responsible for the group’s spa and wellness offerings, and also oversees staff training and development, Lydia’s passion for cooking has made her the perfect fit for the role of food and beverage group director. Both sisters travel regularly for work (as well as Brown’s in Mayfair and the Balmoral in Edinburgh, the Fortes own numerous hotels across Europe and Asia), but love spending time in Italy, where their mother Aliai was brought
up. The festive season is a rare occasion for the whole family to spend time together. ‘We’ll dress up and have a special dinner on 24 December because that’s just as important as Christmas Day for the Italians,’ says Irene. ‘My mother is brilliant at decorations – last year we had holly and petals adorning the tablecloths. It’s crazy, but beautifully done.’
The menu is as extravagant as the decor and features dishes from throughout Italy. ‘Since my grandparents come from different parts of the country, our culinary influences are very mixed,’ explains Lydia. The occasion traditionally starts with an aperitivo of prosecco produced at their grandmother’s Venetian vineyard, enjoyed with antipasti such as anchovy crostini (see the recipe, right). ‘For the main course, we’ll have roast goose with all the trimmings, but before that we might have tortellini in brodo – filled pasta in a chicken broth – or a northern-italian favourite such as bollito misto, a mix of boiled meats,’ she says. To accompany their feast, the family like to enjoy a few bottles of Sassicaia or Ornellaia – red wines made close to the restored 12th-century castle in Tuscany where Lydia celebrated her wedding in 2016.
Now pregnant with her first child, Lydia has been unofficially tasked with safeguarding the family’s culinary heritage. ‘My grandmother is always on the phone telling me about her recipes,’ she says, laughing. ‘There’s this amazing pasta dish she makes using conchiglioni, pecorino cheese and slow-cooked onions.’ She loves having friends round for Italian-themed dinner parties, where she serves simple yet luxurious one-pot creations such as risotto with a sprinkling of white truffle and a side of winter greens.
This Christmas, however, the pair are looking forward to a change of scene. ‘My mother’s sister has just finished building a house in Istanbul, so we’ll be spending the big day there,’ says Irene. ‘It’ll be completely different, but it’s bound to be a huge family affair.’ Such is the spirit of the Fortes – they may be constantly on the move, but their hearts remain in the right place. For the tortellini in brodo recipe, visit www.townandcountrymag.co.uk/food -and-drink. Brown’s Hotel (www.rocco fortehotels.com/browns-hotel).