Katie Caldesi's Diary of Italian Living, Food & Culture.

The party for the press is over, the two parties held for the residents of Bray is over and now we must deliver the goods at our new restaurant everyday. Everyone of our neighbours has been very welcoming and I don’t feel so much like the new kid on the block anymore. I have many acquaintances and now dare I say a couple of friends in Bray too. People have been so kind in this quintessentially English village.

This restaurant has had many owners in the past, I feel I know them all as the residents tell me how they long each business lasted and why they think they failed. We can only learn from them and hope that we stay here longer. Giancarlo and I, and our children, love being here. It is an absolute joy to wake up to the birds, the trees and fields and friendly faces, we have to make it work. Giancarlo would say “forget the trees and grass, what about the amount of money we have invested, of course it has got to work!”.

Time to wake up the sleeping boys, drive them to school, get the train to London and spend the day at our cookery school, then home again to the log fire, Gregorio’s cooking and a big glass of Tuscan wine, not a bad life. Let it last.