August

Since I first became a parent over thirty years ago I have holidayed in August, usually renting a commodious farmhouse or villa that will house, like Rabbit, our friends and relations. The majority have been in Italy. We have stayed in Calabria, Puglia, Tuscany, Le Marche, and we have taken one particular house in Umbria on several occasions.

I cook a lunch or dinner just about every day on holiday. I will do a lot of the shopping: in markets, in some impeccably pristine butchers’ shops and other distinctly peccable ones, in little alimentari and vegetable shops and, of course, in supermarkets of every size, most of which sell far superior produce than that which is available in Britain.