Join Patrizia Simone, Umbrian-Australian chef and advocate of eating and living by the seasons, as she shares the time-honoured rituals, stories and treasured family recipes from her childhood in rural Italy that inspire the dishes she serves at her celebrated restaurant, Simone’s of Bright, in Victoria’s Ovens Valley.

From the simplest pork ribs grilled over hot coals, delicate salads of spring flowers, handmade pasta and fruit-filled crostate to elegant dishes using that most Umbrian of ingredients, the truffle, this book captures the essence of Umbria and its culinary traditions. More than just a cookbook, My Umbrian Kitchen is a guide to a way of life who traditions we can learn from and keep alive, wherever we are today.

‘I remember sitting in a piazza somewhere in Umbria, sipping a coffee and urging Patrizia to write down her stories, and show how her present life draws upon and has been enriched by what has gone before. This is precisely what she has done here. . . ‘ Stephanie Alexander pp.296 #290915