Our easy homemade ravioli is great as a starter or a main course served with a delicious gorgonzola sauce.
Food, Recipes, Lifestyle and Travel Blog
By the Flavours Holidays Team
Pappardelle stuffed with peas and mascarpone
This pasta is typically known as Lorda (dirty) because the pasta is not filled with the stuffing but just “stained” with it.
Simple asparagus recipes
Our Flavours cook Livia has put together her simple asparagus recipes that take just a few minutes to make!
Linguine al Pesto di Limone
This delicious variation on a classic pesto, uses fresh unwaxed lemons. It originates from the Italian island of Procida.
Easy salsa verde recipe
For our regular Monday live cooking lesson from Bologna our Flavours cook Livia teaches how to make a really easy salsa verde sauce. It’s one of the classic Italian sauces and perfect for bollito misto, or to serve with vegetables or even over pasta. Salsa Verde translated means “green sauce” and we love the vibrant colour!…
Curzul pasta
Curzul is a square sided spaghetti pasta that is found in the Faenza area of Emilia Romagna. It’s a firm favourite of our Flavours cook Livia.
How to cook with fregola
Fregola is actually a kind of pasta very similar to couscous, made with durum wheat and semolina flour. It is often called Sardinian couscous and is a great base for pasta and salads
The Interesting History Of Pasta In Italy
When you think of Italian food, you probably think of pasta. But did you know, pasta didn’t actually originate in Italy? We’ve put together a post on the interesting history of pasta in Italy, so read on to find out more about its incredible journey into Italian culture! The word ‘pasta’ is an Italian word…
Traditional Bolognese ragu recipe
Our recipe for traditional Bolognese ragu is from our local cook Livia and has been handed down through the generations in her family.
Painting Inspiration – Hugh Tuckerman’s Favourite Italian Locations to Paint
We spoke to one of our fantastic painting tutors, Hugh Tuckerman, to discuss his favourite spots in Italy for painting inspiration. With wonderful painting holidays to Italy, there are so many stunning landscapes, scenes and locations to inspire our guests – so it was no small task to narrow it down!
Easy pesto sauce recipe
Our easy pesto sauce recipe is a winner! We think you’ll find it so easy to make yourself and it tastes so much better than pesto in a jar!
Homemade rocket pesto recipe
Homemade rocket pesto is such an easy recipe, we love the peppery taste from the rocket and it’s such a great alternative to the classic pesto genovese.
Fennel Gratin
An easy side dish and perfect accompaniment to roasted fish or chicken.
Fennel & Orange Salad
This is an easy dish to make and so refreshing ! Orange and fennel salad is full of flavour is a great salad for summer or winter.
How to make carbonara sauce
One of the most famous Italian dishes, pasta with carbonara sauce is a classic and sure to please all the family. Ingredients for 2 people 200g Mezze maniche pasta 2 slices of guanciale (½ cm thick) – Alternatively use bacon or pancetta 3 eggs (2 just yolks a 1 whole egg) Black pepper 40g of…
Simple pasta all’arrabbiata
One of the simplest and most well know Italian dishes, pasta all’arrabbiata is a classical Roman pasta dish. Literally translated “arrabbiata” means angry and is a reference to the spicy, hot chilli found in the dish, how “angry you want to be, is up to you! Ingredients for 2 200g plums tomatoes Chilli flakes or…
Embrace the Danish way of living- Hygge
Hygge- Embrace the Danish way of living Do the short, cold days of January make you want to hibernate at home? If so, why not take inspiration from the Danish, who place the art of hygge at the centre of their lifestyle? Hygge is something you experience, a sense of being safe and comforted, of…
Spaghetti recipes
Spaghetti all’ amatriciana 2 slices of guanciale (½ cm thick) 200g plums tomatoes ( in a tin) ½ glass of white wine Chilli flakes 200g Spaghetti Black pepper 100g of Pecorino Romano Slice the quite thick guanciale (pancetta) into long strips. In a pan cook the guanciale strips and let them release the fat it…
Best Cookbooks for 2021
The best cookbooks for 2021 as recommended by you (our Flavours followers) We asked for your recommendations for the best cookbooks as there’s such a huge variety of cookbooks available. It can be incredibly difficult knowing where to start when buying one as a present or as a treat for yourself. Whether you’re searching for…
Healthy Artichoke recipes
Here are our recipes from Facebook Live – Monday 11th January 2021 Patè di Carciofi (artichoke pate) for 300g patè 4 artichokes 2 garlic cloves 30g mascarpone or 30g butter Salt Pepper 200ml water To make the patè we will use all the parts of the artichokes which are a bit more tough ,such as…
The Perfect Christmas Gifts for a Foodie
With the festive season almost upon us it’s about time to start thinking about your Christmas gift shopping if you haven’t done so already. To give you some inspiration, we put together a Christmas gift list for the foodie in your life. From aprons, to pizza makers to cooking classes – we promise you will…
Italian Christmas Cocktail Recipe
Incredibly refreshing, this wine-based cocktail is perfect for both summer and winter. It’s also the ideal Christmas cocktail with its effervescent sparkle. Learn how to make an Aperol Spritz with this recipe!
Travel Bucket List For 2021
First published 18th Sept 2021, this post has been update 4th December 2021. We’ve been dreaming (and we’re sure you have too) of exploring a little bit further afield and ticking off our travel bucket list. Our wanderlust has us incredibly excited to get back out into the world and return to travel in 2021!…
Butternut squash gnocchi recipe
Looking for a butternut squash gnocchi recipe as a delicious alternative to the classic potato gnocchi? In this recipe we’ve combined it with a creamy cheese sauce- a complete carb overload, but the perfect comfort food.
Top 5 Italian Christmas Traditions
This blog was originally posted on 4th December 2017 and was updated October 2020. A chill in the air and sparkling lights lining the streets – we love Christmas! It’s a time for peace, joy and love, and it brings some brightness to the colder months in the northern hemisphere. Every European country celebrates Christmas…
The best risotto recipe for winter
As the evenings draw in there’s nothing like a bowl of creamy risotto- we’re delighted to share our best risotto recipe for winter from Flavours chef- Livia de Giovanni. The bitterness of the radicchio and red wine is perfectly balanced with the creamy risotto rice. – Buon appetito! Learn more about our Italian chef Livia…
Our Christmas Aperitivo Guide
This blog was originally posted on 5th December 2014 and was updated on 22nd October 2020. With the Christmas season coming into full swing and many people starting to plan parties and get together for their friends and family, it’s the perfect time to learn more about the Italian aperitivo – an authentic Italian ritual…
Torta di Mela – Italian Apple Tart Recipe
Apples thrive in Northern Italy’s cooler temperatures where Italian farmers have been cultivating this fruit for over 2,000 years. While almost every apple-growing country has its own variation of the classic apple tart; this is a traditional recipe from Tuscany called Torta di Mele!
8 Ways the Italian Lifestyle Teaches You to Appreciate Life More
This blog was originally posted on 8th March 2017 and was updated on 22nd October 2020. Any trip to Italy reminds us of how the Italians value and celebrate all aspects of life. From taking time to eat and drink well, to spending time with family, to appreciating beautiful architecture and design, as well as…
Italian Christmas Cantuccini Biscuits
Cantuccini are traditional Christmas biscuits originating from Tuscany. Technically, these can be called Cantucci or Cantuccini biscuits as ‘biscotti’ refers to all biscuits in Italian. Why not try out this classic Tuscan recipe from our cooking holidays, best enjoyed dipped in a glass of Vin Santo!