'Vivid, humorous and unsentimental, Sophie's portrait of modern Puglia, still steeped in old ways, is a delicious treat.' Xanthe Clay

'I knew when I arrived that Puglia was a region I wanted to get to know intimately, to understand the culture, life, history and geography, reflecting through the prism of the food that's put on the tables of locals and of tourists, too. I'm reminded of my twenty-year-old self, scribbling in notebooks as I first travelled through Italy's south, only this time I'm back to stay.'

After her children grew up and left home, Sophie Grigson found herself living alone. About to turn 60, she took the decision to sell or give away most of her belongings, to pack up her car and to drive to Puglia on her own to start a new life. In a part of Italy where she didn't know anyone, this narrative journal of food writing, stories and recipes brings to life the region, its food and the local characters that she meets along the way.

This is a book about courage, hope, new horizons and, above all, delicious food.

'OMFG! This beautiful book is transporting me there. I can't put it down. And the lack of chickens...I never bloody noticed!' Matt Tebbutt