We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. As I look through the recipes and think about the common thread that binds them, I realise that they all exemplify a fundamental principle of Italian home cooking. Which is that simplicity - and keeping ingredients as close to their original form as possible - leads to the most delicious and rewarding food. The beauty of Italian cooking is that it is not about fancy sauces or preparation techniques. Rather, it is about bringing out the best in what you are cooking, through patience, constant tasting and the development of flavour - sometimes using nothing but some olive oil and salt.'

A House Party in Tuscany by Amber Guinness - Dymocks A House Party in Tuscany by Amber Guinness - Dymocks

Amber says: 'As I look through the recipes and think about the common thread that binds them, I realise that they all exemplify a fundamental principle of Italian home cooking. Which is that simplicity - and keeping ingredients as close to their original form as possible - leads to the most delicious and rewarding food. The beauty of Italian cooking is that it is not about fancy sauces or preparation techniques. Rather, it is about bringing out the best in what you are cooking, through patience, constant tasting and the development of flavour - sometimes using nothing but some olive oil and salt.' A peculiar attribute of the landscape surrounding Arniano is the ever-changing light. Early in the morning, there is an extraordinary mist that sits in the valley and interweaves through the hills, allowing just the tops to show above the smoky clouds. These changes bring with them new moods and shadows, drawing our painters to different views and areas of the garden throughout the day. By the evening, everything has altered again, and there are often intense sunsets, bringing silhouettes from the trees and much darker, richer, olive colours.' Often as an author, I only occasionally get to meet the public who buy and read my books. The Oxford Literary Festival was a special opportunity for me and certainly one of the highlights of my career – it was an honour I will never forget.

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AMBER GUINNESS

Showcasing inviting and lush photography of the farmhouse’s interiors and exteriors alongside mouthwatering images of simple and flavorful dishes, A House Party in Tuscany collects recipes from 30 years of cooking and hosting at Arniano, exemplifying fundamental principles of Italian home cooking.A truly beautiful book with food as colourful as paintings and thoughtful menus guided by the Tuscan seasons.' Few farmhouses in Tuscany are as magical as Arniano. Bought and restored in the 1980s by an English couple, this 18th-century ruin, surrounded by staggering beauty as far as the eye can see, became synonymous with delicious food and sparkling company. their intelligence – this makes a huge difference for a speaker. In the Oxford audience I encountered many experts in the field my book covered and even one of the ambassadors I’d quoted

A House Party in Tuscany: Recipes, Stories and 1760762717 - A House Party in Tuscany: Recipes, Stories and

I loved the whole atmosphere of the Oxford Literary Festival. From breakfast, alongside some of the attendees, who were talking books with each other a mile a minute, to the public event at The Sheldonian where everyone was lively and engaged – I felt I had arrived in a kind of literary heaven. Art meets food in this celebratory story of family and friends in Tuscany at the Arniano Painting School. Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe. The night in Oxford was the most beautiful event I have ever done. Not just the spectacular setting (of the Sheldonian), but an unforgettable evening.

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A stimulating and rewarding on-stage conversation; a lively informed and tolerant audience; privileged access to the great treasures of the Bodleian, and finally, wonderfully interesting dinner companions to help me conclude the best day I have enjoyed at any festival – anywhere. It was a privilege for me to visit the festival to receive the Bodley Medal. As an incidental blessing I saw Oxford at its most mysterious and atmospheric. It was a day of piercing cold and as I walked through the twilight from the Sheldonian to Christ Church, the streets were empty and the whole city was shutting itself away. Christ Church was silent except for the footfall of unseen persons around corners and the sounds of evensong creeping from behind closed doors. For the first time I understood thoroughly the power of college ghost stories. The Oxford festival is the most elegant and atmospheric of literary festivals. It’s a pleasure to both attend and perform there.

A House Party in Tuscany: Recipes, Stories and Art from A House Party in Tuscany: Recipes, Stories and Art from

Every literary festival stays in an author’s mind for slightly individual reasons. I shall remember the Oxford festival for:There are many farmhouses in Tuscany, but few are quite so magical as Arniano. It is here, in this 18th-century podere, that Amber Guinness grew up and learned to cook. And it is here that she established The Arniano Painting School, a residential painting course and immersive art and food experience. Art meets food in this sublime story of family and friends at the Arniano Painting School in Tuscany.