Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius/350 Fahrenheit/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with a removable base with parchment paper. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale. Add the ...

D.H. Lawrence, never one to shrink from the erotic, wrote a poem called “Figs.” Oddly, it chides “overripe” women of his day for their “self-assertion” while comparing female genitalia to the title ...

The next best thing to having a productive fig tree in your own garden is to have Italian friends who have massively productive fig trees in their yards. This week my Italian friend Umberto Garbuio ...

In the late 1800s, a Mediterranean tree began to take root in the United States when Italian immigrants began arriving in the country. Their suitcases were filled with things that reminded them of ...

This Italian-style brioche is similar to the French version, with a lovely buttery flavour. It’s best eaten on the day it’s made.