I’ve worked in restaurants all over the world from Rome to London via Bangkok, I’ve learnt under some great chefs and have run restaurants of all types. But to this day, what really gets my heart beating, is the food I grew up with, from my home region of Calabria and the rest of southern Italy. How would I describe my cooking? Mamma’s cooking with a chef’s hands.

Mezzogiorno means ‘noon’, ‘half-day’ and it also means ‘lunchtime’. Above all, it refers to the southern part of Italy’s boot, those eight sun-soaked regions that some might consider the heart of the Mediterranean. But for me, mezzogiorno, simply means home, the area that inspired me to write my first cookbook. Guessed the title yet?