Radio Times: Review by:; Alison Graham

Nigella Lawson opens the shutters of her hotel room onto a sun-bathed Florence, its church bells clanging. She’s back at the establishment where, as a student, she was once a chambermaid. Lawson rhapsodises about her love for the country and its food, which has been an “enduring inspiration”.

Back home in her enviably well-equipped London kitchen, the one that’s the size of the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, Lawson promises to bring us Italian food but in her own style. Feel free to lie on the sofa with
a damp flannel on your head as dish after glorious dish shimmies before your eyes, including a chocolate hazelnut cheesecake that Lawson admits isn’t actually Italian, apart from the chocolate and hazelnut paste bit. And her “meatzza”, which is basically meatballs squashed flat and covered in cheese. “Greed” says the lovely Lawson, “is my main motivation.”

About this programme

1/6. Nigella Lawson presents a guide to Italian cookery, demonstrating how to create traditional and exciting meals using ingredients that are widely available in most supermarkets. She begins by preparing Sicilian pasta with tomatoes, garlic and almonds, a family feast of tagliata and Tuscan fries, and a fiery egg dish designed for late-night parties.