I did mention that I would be back to discuss the most important parts of my visit to Rome with my parents, and for those of you who know me at all, either in person or via the internet, will surely be aware that for me this means the food and drink.

Rome, like all parts of this wonderful gourmet’s paradise which is the Italian peninsula, has its own specialities, starting with pecorino romano cheese and honey as a ìn appetizer, and moving swiftly onwards to include mouthwatering spaghetti alla carbonara made with eggs, bacon, black pepper and cheese (no cream thanks), bucatini all’amatriciana with a rich sauce of smokey “guanciale”, tomatoes and pecorino cheese, gnocchi with sweet pears and sharp, pungent gorgonzola, abbacchio which is an incredibly tender lamb dish served with rich gravy and artichokes… all washed down with rich red Montepulciano. My favourite dish is the simple cacio e pepe, made with two cheeses and plenty of black pepper… I tend to eat this with so much pepper it burns my mouth, which is how they eat it in Roma and how my Roman friend Mirella taught me to prepare it 🙂

As I am still recovering from a day running around warehouses doing an audit, and in anticipation of more of the same tomorrow (thank God I get overtime) I will dash off to bed now, but leave you with the delicious image of a plate of real carbonare, prepared in the way it SHOULD be, in order to tempt you to visit Rome in the near future. If you go, be sure to toss a coin in the Trevi fountain – trust me, it works.

I do apologise for my terrible blogging over the past little while. Life does just sometimes catch up on you, although of course there is a degree of laziness in there too.