Venice: Four Seasons of Home Cooking

Russell Norman returns to Venice - the city that inspired Polpo - to immerse himself in the authentic flavours of the Veneto and the culinary traditions of the city.

His rustic kitchen - in the residential quarter of the city where washing hangs across the narrow streets and neighbours don't bother to lock their doors - provides the perfect backdrop for this adventure, and for the 130 lip-smacking, easy Italian family recipes showcasing the simple but exquisite flavours of Venice.

The book also affords us a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of the city, its hidden architectural gems, its secret places, the embedded history, the colour and vitality of daily life, and the food merchants and growers who make Venice so surprisingly vibrant.

Returning to the simple, backstreet venetian food that inspired Polpo, Venice is a reimmersion in the rusitc flavours, classic cooking and cultural highlights of Venice. Unique recipes and inside glances into a city whose unique cuisine reflects a richly diverse history of intermingled traditions, influences and flavours.