All author royalties will go towards the Trussell Trust to support their vital work with UK food banks

In these unique times, we are all looking for heart-warming recipes that are easy to make.

Good Food for Hard Times is based on the concept of cucina povera, the Italian way of cooking with simple, cheap ingredients to provide for and nourish your family. Gennaro, the authority on Italian food, uses storecupboard staples to create dishes that will delight and comfort. With a bag of flour, you can impress your family or flatmates with home-made bread, perfect pizzas and surprisingly easy fresh pasta, and have fun in the making. Or utilise your dried ingredients – tinned tomatoes and fish, pasta, rice and beans – to create wholesome dishes that your local Italian restaurant would be proud of. Bring the Italian sunshine in to your home and enjoy!

‘These are the foods and dishes of my childhood, a time when food was never wasted and good nutritious meals were always cooked from scratch. I hope you enjoy recreating these recipes and not only during this challenging time, but also for many years to come.’ Gennaro