About Laura

Laura makes buccellati, a traditional Sicilian Christmas biscuit, in her Mum's kitchen

Laura makes buccellati, traditional Sicilian Christmas biscuits, in her Mum's kitchen

I am Italian, grew up in Sicily and came to England in 1999 inspired by a great love for traveling and for foreign languages. Having finished my language degree in Exeter I went into teaching and later on started running language courses for adults and families.

Coming from a traditional Sicilian family, where food - both cooking and eating - was regarded as a major priority, I’ve always had a passion for cooking, following my grandmother’s and mother’s footsteps. Just like them, I’ve always enjoyed having crowds around me and gathering them for a lengthy meal. Family and friends have always been the focus of my dinner parties.

For the last few years, cycle touring has been a very important part of my life. Apart from providing me with weeks of fun, relaxation and discovery they have been a vigorous addition to my culinary experience. Most of the time the tours have been a way of using and improving my language skills in search of great landscapes and excellent food. They have given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of traditional Italian food, and mix it with the flavours of the other countries I've visited - France, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Croatia.

My enthusiasm for cooking has brought me to teach other people how to cook through a series of private demonstrations, successful cookery courses and gourmet workshops, that, altogether with my private experience, constitute the basis for Pomodoro.