The delightfulness of this book rests in the fact that the chapters centre on ingredients rather than regions, allowing for a wonderful spread of recipes and information that captures the flavour of the Italian kitchen.
Guardian

This is a traditional nurturing home-style Italian cooking, ranging from the simplicity of 'la cucina povera' to the more elaborate cuisine of the old nobility, from rough rustic dishes like bread soup, to festive presentations like lamb with garlic and juniper berries with a dazzling sauce of vinegar, sugar and milk.
New York Times

An excellent cook and a natural hostess, Del Conte has the gift for passing on knowledge and for organising. She is the best writer on Italian food in Britain.
Financial Times

Those who think of Italian cooking as only tomato sauce and pasta will be surprised by the range of dishes presented here. Del Conte, the author of five other cookbooks, knows her culinary terrain intimately. This is the food of her childhood and Del Conte is as likely to invoke her father's notion of a proper soup as she is to discuss the 17th century chef Bartolomeo Stefani.
Cookbook Review

The recipes are clear enough for rookie cooks to follow and they make sense in terms of the kinds of food many people want to eat today- fresh, flavourful, simple prepared, with less emphasis on meat and more on vegetables.
New York Times