The real taste of Tuscany

Travel by Victoria Thomas

 friendly bunch. Now all that remained was to meet the star of the show, and that, without question, was the chef Paola.

If you searched the whole of Italy you couldn’t find a more Italian mamma than 48-year-old Paola.

Big, beautiful, and a born show-off, she had that knack of making everyone feel special. "Ciao," she said on seeing us for the first time before shoving porcini mushrooms as big as lemons and "picked that morning" right under our noses.

"Look at these wonderful mushrooms," she sighed. "Fresh, porcini mushrooms, is there anything better?"

Two hours later, tucking into Paula’s famous porcini mushroom lasagne – course one – we were in total agreement.

That same evening, having put away an obscene amount of food and wine, we were handed our aprons and recipe books and the serious business of cookery school had begun.

Anyone who caught Jamie Oliver's Channel 4 show Great Escape will have some idea of what a cooking holiday in Italy entails.

Yes, we learned proper chef tricks, like how to chop quickly, how to make fresh pasta and even how to skin a rabbit, but the school was more about how to appreciate the local ingredients.

As if to hammer the point home, school was out on Tuesday so that we could enjoy a gastronomic tour of the region, taking in a vineyard, pecorino cheese factory and olive oil press.

From the 20-something Romeo whose eyes lit up as he described how his family had pressed oil the same way for 80 years to the pecorino-making couple who proudly showed us their goats, the message was clear: these ingredients are special.

Presentation was also important. Every evening, we guests were in raptures over the table decorations that Paola's assistant had painstakingly created from the flowers and branches outside the villa.

It’s what Britain is only just catching onto now. Sitting with friends and enjoying locally-grown, organic food – made with love, not preservatives and additives – is the key to happiness.

"Friends worry about what to cook for me when I go round," said mum-of-two Paola."But I tell them, please don't worry. For me, there is nothing better than good bread, good olive oil and good wine.

"That is the good life," she smiled. We couldn't have agreed more.

•  Victoria Thomas and partner stayed at the Casa Ombuto in Tuscany, Italy. A week's stay, full board, including four cookery classes, costs about £1,400, although discounts are available.

Visit www.casaombuto.com for more details.