Valvona & Crolla

A glorious Italian cookbook from the award-winning and rapidly growing Edinburgh-based delicatessen

Valvona & Crolla has been described as ‘the Sistine chapel of continental delis’. Founded in 1934 by the Continis' ancestors, the Italian shop and restaurant is legendary in food circles for its excellent food and drink. Now, co-owners Mary (author of the bestselling Dear Francesca and co-author of the Easy Peasy cooking series) presents 200 delicious and authentic recipes. Organised season by season, the book offers a year of sumptuous delights from around the country of her heritage, together with recommendations for wines to match them. Starting with the festive flavours of winter, such as a creamy chestnut soup with smoked pancetta, moving on to the best of spring’s vegetables with a broad bean and spinach frittata, fresh seafood dishes in the summer, and finishing with the truffles, olive pressings and slow-cooked casseroles of the autumn, this beautifully written and evocatively photographed book adds up to a food diary of personal stories, history, anecdotes and recipes, all imbued with the warmth and local knowledge that only a true Italian family, passionate about food, can deliver.

Author Profile

Mary Contini is the granddaughter of Italian immigrants who moved to Scotland at the beginning of the last century. She has been a director of the Edinburgh deli, Valvona & Crolla Ltd, since 1983. She is the author of five other books, including the bestselling Dear Francesca – a beautiful evocation of Italian family life and food, and the children’s cookery series Easy Peasy. Philip Contini is the grandson of the co-founder of Valvona & Crolla. He joined the family business in 1970 and took over as Managing Director in 1986. He has won numerous prizes and accolades for his Italian wine list and has driven the business forward to establish it as one of the leading independent food retailers in the UK. Mary and Philip live in Edinburgh with their two daughters.

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