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Before the publication of The Top 100 Pasta Sauces back in 1987, the average Brit was mostly oblivious to the culinary crimes that were being committed to Italian food, content to chuck watery bolognese on top of overcooked, unsalted, poor-quality pasta, with maybe a parsley leaf on top for garnish, if you were lucky. Today however, our love affair with Italian cooking has deepened to the point of obsession, with television chefs extolling the virtues of simple, fresh ingredients and rustic home cooking a la Italia from morning to night. Before your Jamie Olivers and Gennaro Contaldos however, there was Diane Seed. An English home cook with a deep passion for the regional flavours of Italy, the release of her book The Top 100 Pasta Sauces was the culmination of years spent immersing herself in the country's rich culinary history, and its vast success represented a turning point in Britain's relationship with the cuisine. For the first time, cooks were confronted with the id...

Having spent many years working as a consultant devising and developing range plans and product ranges for new shop launches, in 2005 Lawrence Roullier White decided it was time to write his own retail brief. Having collected a wealth of knowledge of, and a developed a huge passion for, brands with a pedigree and provenance Lawrence opened Roullier White as a showcase for these companies, combining both his British and French heritage in a carefully considered collection. Roullier White is a luxury lifestyle store, packed with affordable, desirable and useful items. From Lawrence’s range of all-natural Mrs White’s home and body care products – based on ingredients passed down from his Great Grandmother - to some of the world’s most exclusive and extraordinary perfumes, customers the world over cannot help but fall in love with Roullier White. As a journalist Lawrence is a regular contributor to many lifestyle magazines and blogs, as well as being a keen advocate of encouragi...

This is the recipe for the lunch that Diane Seed cooked for us yesterday. I know it is Monday and not a good day to buy fish but I thought I should record this whilst it was fresh in my mind. In the poorer regions of Italy bread was often added to the pasta to bulk it out, or as an alternative to Parmesan or pecorino. The addition of some rustic breadcrumbs to this recipe really adds some delicious texture to this delicious recipe. Scallops with Spaghetti and Breadcrumbs You will need: Spaghetti Scallops Some stale Bread Olive oil Garlic Method: Heat some water for the pasta, bring to the boil, add the pasta and simmer. Heat some oil in a pan Using a slice of stale whole wheat bread make some rough, rustic breadcrumbs and fry in the oil until crispy. Set aside. Fry the garlic in olive oil for around 30 seconds then add the scallops and fry for a minute or so on both sides. Drain the pasta, retaining one cup of the pasta water and pour into the scallops and olive oil. Po...

Whenever I pop into a local deli I am always so overwhelmed by all the fantastic colours and smells I immediately want to take everything home. I am easily beguiled by the beauty of an old fashioned label or a timeless tin. I am lucky that my magpie attention is drawn by the pretty packaging, the ambient goods, and not so much by the perishables. I can pop a packet of pasta in my bag, thereby fueling my fix, in the comfortable knowledge that my purchase will not be wasted. So like me you may have plenty of pasta in your pantry, the ideal rainy day food, if not then you are going to need a pack of spaghetti so pop along to your local independent food store and stock up. The following recipe was given to me by my friend the author and gourmet adventurer,   Diane Seed , whom I am very excited is coming to stay with us this weekend. I hope I do Diane justice as I prepare it from memory not from the page. It is so simple I don't think I ever wrote in down. Spaghetti with Tuna & Ro...

I was given this recipe by my dear friend Diane Seed , who runs a wonderful cookery school in Rome and is the author of the definitive 100 Pasta Sauces. Take 500 gm of freshly peeled and veined prawns and divide into 6 ramekins, add half a clove of chopped garlic to each bowl with some crushed chili, drizzle with some olive oil and leave to marinade for at least two hours. Put into a preheated oven (250c) for 5 minutes. Serve immediately with hunks of brown bread.

At the time of writing it is a wet and windy March Sunday morning in London. Only the most dedicated of dog walkers can be seen crossing Peckham Rye Common outside my window; pulling their faithful, yet reticent, charges further away from the comfort of their baskets and blankets by the Aga. It is a far, far cry from my birthday two Sundays ago which was spent idly drifting across one of the most spectacular waterscapes I have ever seen; the Keralan waterways. I know it must have happened, I have the tan to prove it, but it seems so far away now. I click on the image file on my computer the pictures open as a slide show on my screen; each one brighter and more vibrant than the one before. I can hear the street sounds, smell the garlands, and taste the air. Two weeks ago I really was in India. I have visited Diane Seed at her Roman Cookery School on several occasions. I love the way she enthuses about every aspect of the culinary experience; from the group visits to the markets to buy f...

I will never forget Christmas 1987. I was buying for the Covent Garden General Store and one book title in particular was proving so popular there was not room to store it. Boxes of it were crammed into the buying office. I was just recovering at my desk, having hauled two enormous loads down onto the shop floor, when the phone rang ‘we need more books!’ ‘Blinking woman’ I thought as I hung up the phone. The book was ‘The Top 100 Pasta Sauces’ and the ‘blinking woman’ was D iane Seed. The book proved to be one of the best selling non-fiction books of the 80’s. I couldn’t imagine that 20 years later the author would have become my friend and we would be sitting together on a balcony, above a bakers, in the tiny Greek fishing village of Vathi talking about our favourite black and white movies! Having visited D iane at her cookery school in Rome I jumped at the opportunity to join her on one or her ‘Gourmet Adventures’ to Sifnos. This idyllic island is famed for its fo...

Picture this: It is a few days before Christmas, you are queuing in the post office, one fifth of the way through your five page to-do list, when you are tapped on the shoulder; ‘I thought it was you. How funny. Simon and I were just talking about you last night. We must get together before Christmas. Shall we pop over tonight? We’ll have the girls and their boyfriends with us and Simon’s sister and brother-in-law from San Diego. Is 8ish OK? Don’t go to any trouble.' You raise a smile as your heart sinks. With a few larder staples and these quick recipes from best-selling cookery writer Diane Seed, you will be able to cater a last minute drinks party in no time.  Diane Seed has been living in Rome since the 1960’s, where she says she went for the men and stayed for the food! Diane is no stranger to impromptu visits as she runs one of Italy’s most successful cookery schools in her home at the Doria Pamphili Palace in Rome. Hot prawns. Take 500 g of prawns and divide into 6 ramekins...