About Diane Seed

Diane has lived in Rome for 30 years, and she has built up an international reputation for her unrivalled knowledge of Italian regional cuisine and wines.

She lives in a spectacular apartment in the Doria Pamphili palace at Piazza
Venezia,where she has recently opened a cooking school with views of the
Colosseum and St. Peter's. Her love affair with Italy shows no sign of
fading.

She moved to Rome after studying English Literature at London University, and proceeded to teach at an international school for fifteen years while bringing up her three daughters. Her great interest in food and cooking then developed from a hobby into a full-time occupation as she started to write cook books. Her first book, "Top one Hundred Pasta Sauces" has sold well over a million copies and been translated into 12 languages.Her other books are:

"Eating out in Italy"
"The Top One Hundred Italian Dishes"
"More Great Italian Pasta"
"Favourite Indian Food"
"Diane Seed's Mediterranean Dishes"
"Italian Cooking with Olive Oil"
"Diane Seed's Roman Kitchen"
"The Top 100 Italian Rice Dishes"

Diane now writes for various magazines on these subjects, as well as
travelling the world giving lectures, lessons and demonstrations, spreading
the knowledge she has acquired over the years from farms, palazzi, markets,
restaurants and family friends.

Her latest research has been into the cooking of the far south of Italy, a
region generally undiscovered by tourism, and where the historic influences
of Greece, Spain and the Arab invasions are still reflected in the food. As
well as her Roman cooking school she runs classes twice a year on the
Amalfi coast, Sicily and occasional classes in Puglia, in the heel of
Italy. In the course of her exploration of Mediterranean and Italian food
Diane has also acquired expert knowledge of the various olive oils
produced. She works frequently for the International Olive Oil Council, and
takes part in food promotions all over the world.

Diane has worked for many years as the Italian food consultant for Marks and Spencer in the UK and now spends considerable time helping chefs and suppliers
enlarge their repertoire with authentic regional dishes.

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