Rome is the most beautiful city in the world. i go to food markets and find great places to eat!
Tom Parker Bowles is a highly regarded and internationally acclaimed English food writer, restaurant critic, award- winning author and broadcaster. He is the restaurant critic for The Mail on Sunday, the food editor at Esquire magazine, contributes a monthly column to Country Life and is a regular contributor to GQ magazine and Conde Nast Traveller. His television career includes guest judging on BBC’s Master Chef and presenting various international culinary shows. Over the last years Tom Parker Bowles has written several bestselling cookbooks, from E ist for Eating, An Alphabet of Greed to his latest, Cooking & The Crown, his ninth publication. This royal-themed cookbook, recently launched in multiple languages, including in Italian by Guido Tommasi Editore, showcases recipes from the time of Queen Victoria to King Charles Ill, blending culinary history with regal tradition and simple pleasures. As the son of Queen Camilla and the stepson and godson of King Charles, Tom Parker Bowles brings a unique insight into culinary heritage while revealing how Italy holds a special place close to his heart.
Have you always had a passion for food?
Ever since I was a child growing up in the English countryside, I always loved food. We mainly ate English and especially Southern Italian food, and every time we went to London where we also lived, we would always go to Italian restaurants. In the ‘80s my parents would take me and my sister for summer vacations to Ischia. To me, it was heaven, there were all these amazing antipasti, fresh pasta al pomodoro and all sorts of fish! So Italy and its food were a huge – and still are a huge – part of my, our life. My mother loves Italy as much as I do having spent her childhood holidays in Ischia and Florence at Villa dell’Ombrellino which belonged to her great grandmother and she also studied in Florence when she was eighteen. She is a massive Italian food lover. Everyone in my family just loves Italy!
How did this passion of yours lead to a career in food writing?
To start with, it was greed! I just love eating. You have to have a good appetite to write about food. It wasn’t until I left university and been sacked from every other job, that I came across the then editor of Tatler magazine, Geordie Greig, at a party. I went up to him and asked about a food column. And that food column led to a career which is wonderful. To me food is not only to keep us alive, it’s history, sociology, it’s health, it’s wealth, it’s happiness!
What’s the most unexpected discovery you made researching royal dining traditions in your latest book Cooking & The Crown?
There are two things. First of all how much they could eat back then! Queen Victoria and Edward VII ate these huge meals, starting with dishes for breakfast and continuing with some very intricate dishes for lunch, tea and dinner. What I was interested in however was showing also the normal side of it because the Royals are still normal people and the dishes in the cookbook can be easily cooked at home. The late Queen Elizabeth for instance, her taste was very simple and she liked fish cake with a poached egg. There are also many recipes of cakes and biscuits for tea, something we English are very good at.
I have noticed also some Italian recipes?
Oh yes, the fresh Pappardelle with Porcini mushrooms, this is an absolute classic! My mother and the King are both very knowledgeable and love mushrooms. They are also quite competitive when it comes to foraging for wild mushrooms. And the King, he knows so much about farming, heritage and food. He really is a true food hero, always has been.
What’s the first thing you do when in Rome?
I go to food markets and find great places to eat! Sometimes, my friend Emily Fitzroy, who runs Bellini Travel, joins me. I have been to almost every region in Italy and it’s the regional food that interests me. Rome is the most beautiful city in the world, I go to the farmer’s market Campagna Amica at Circo Massimo (Via di San Teodoro ). You can shop there and also have lunch with the freshest produce. My favourite Roman dish is Rigatoni con la pajata. I always go to PIERLUIGI at the stunning Piazza De’ Ricci and to Rocco Ristorante in the Monti area.
I’m lucky to escape to Italy twice a year and can’t wait to spend even more time in Italy!
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