Bright red tomatoes, bottomless carafes of white wine, and the bustling chatter of family and friends: this is the life, soul, and tastes of Italy; this is Appetito. Come and step into the heart of Alison Ranwell’s family kitchen as she serves up the authentic flavours of Italian home cooking. Sharing dishes from the rugged peaks of her second home, Veneto, all the way down to the glistening Amalfi Coast, there’s something to delight everyone at Alison’s dinner table.
Formerly a resident of Italy for 20 years, Alison returned to the UK with her husband, Francesco, and their two daughters in 2017, but found herself unable to leave behind the country’s bountiful energy and spirit. Eager to bring a taste of it to the Midlands, and inspired to share her mother-in-law’s lasagne, Alison launched Italian food business Mangia Mangia in 2021. Translating to “Eat up, eat up”, the business’s name is a hearty call to feast, which is exactly what its customers do at its market stall and Italian Extravaganza evenings in her home of Lichfield.
In her debut book, Appetito, Alison brings together her family’s and customers’ favourites in one essential collection. From Tyrolean Dumplings to Nonna Lili’s Lasagne to Mussels Marinara, her recipes promise a table full of happy stomachs and treasured moments shared. With a curious, seasonal, and wholeheartedly Italian ethos, Appetito makes best use of regional ingredients and encourages home cooks to explore their local shores, woodland, and markets for the freshest and ripest produce. To end the evening, the book’s concluding dolci (desserts) chapter, offers a delicious selection of traditional and festive treats, including a quartet of tiramisu, from Limoncello, Strawberry and Amaretti to a classic Tiramisu Trevigiano.
With accompanying prose so evocative you can almost hear the wind whistling through the Dolomite peaks, Appetito aims to excite each of the senses. Much more than just a cookbook, it’s an intimate collection of photography and memories that beckons readers into the warm glow of a hazy Italian afternoon. Pull up a chair, sit back, and let the extra-virgin olive oil flow because “E’ pronto!” – It’s ready! And it’s time to eat up. Buon appetito.
About the Author
Writer, photographer, and passionate foodie Alison Ranwell is the owner of Italian food business Mangia Mangia (‘Eat up, Eat up’) and founder of ‘The Italian Way’, a food, travel and lifestyle blog. After 20 years in Italy, she returned to the UK to open Mangia Mangia, intent on sharing her mother-in-law’s delicious lasagne. She now divides her time between Veneto and the cathedral city of Lichfield, hosting culinary evenings, mixing spritzes at summer festivals, and stocking a market stall with homemade tiramisù and Nonna Lili’s lasagna. Outside of the kitchen, Alison can be found exploring Italian food markets or seeking out the lesser-known bàcari of Venice with Francesco and their two daughters, camera in one hand, Campari spritz in the other. Appetito is her first book.
Appetito is a 264 page hardback and retails at £27. It will be available to purchase from www.mezepublishing.co.uk as well as bookshops including Waterstones, and Amazon.
