"Salt cod is a good little winter number when there’s not as many fish at the top of the ocean. What I love is that it’s gelatinous and moreish, and there’s so many different things you can do with it."

"When done well, with some red wine, a bit of sugar and some aromats, rhubarb has this nice acidic, tart flavour, which goes well with panna cotta." – Nigel Ward

"Cime di rapa, or broccoli rabe, is really good for you: very high in antioxidants and iron. Italians and Europeans do amazing things with bitter greens, and I just love the flavour. And really great cime di rapa is only around for a month or two."

Ellie and Sam Studd share the joys of the simple Sicilian cheese, ricotta, that’s just as at home in a salad as it is in a decadent dessert, such as this classic Italian cake. You'll need a 20cm springform pan for this recipe.

"It takes around an hour to roll enough wiggly worms to serve four, and about a minute to devour them," says Nigel Ward.

This impressive starter from Nigel Ward perfectly matches sardines, pancetta, and a mix of crumbs, pine nuts and currants.

"I've always said eggplant parmigiana is my death-row dish. I only cook it between February and April, because that's when you can get this particular type of eggplant from Sicily, called a 'rosa bianca'." – Nigel Ward. You'll need a a 28cm round (2.5L-capacity) baking dish.

This dessert from Nigel Ward is a true taste of la dolce vita.