EDITOR’S CHOICE
Amber Guinness masterfully blends Tuscan traditions, culinary artistry, and storytelling, offering a guide to cooking, culture, and comfort through the seasons.
Amber Guinness’s Winter in Tuscany is a vivid, sensory-rich celebration of Tuscan winter living that invites readers into the heart of one of Italy’s most romanticized regions. More than a cookbook, this work is a love letter to the traditions, ingredients, and slow rhythms that define Tuscan winters. Guinness’s deep connection to Tuscany, cultivated through her life in the Arniano farmhouse, shines through her prose and recipes, making the book as much about storytelling as it is about food.
Through recipes like spaghetti all’ubriacona (drunkard’s spaghetti) or Mama’s mini malfatti in broth, Guinness demonstrates her uncanny ability to transform humble, seasonal ingredients into comforting indulgences. Her philosophy of quanto basta—using “as much as you need”—encourages intuitive cooking that is both liberating and deeply personal. For readers intimidated by precise measurements or complex techniques, this approach is a refreshing embrace of flexibility and instinct, which Guinness masterfully teaches through approachable yet elegant dishes.
Beyond the recipes, Guinness offers readers a cultural journey. She introduces treasures like the Benedictine monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, where history, spirituality, and Tuscan gastronomy intersect, or the vibrant farm markets brimming with cavolo nero and saffron. Each anecdote adds depth and dimension, reminding readers that food in Tuscany is inseparable from place, history, and the people who carry its traditions forward.
With her painter’s eye for a beautiful table and her passion for Tuscan foodways, Amber Guinness brings winter in Tuscany to life on every page. Winter in Tuscany is more than a cookbook; it’s a guide to savoring the season, embracing simplicity, and finding joy in every bite. Both nourishing and inspiring, this book is a must-read for food lovers and dreamers alike.er advancement, but a genuine shift in perspective.
