Anna Del Conte's guest appearances

Anna Del Conte

Desert Island Discs

Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

Inheritance Tracks: Inheritance Tracks 2008-2011

Jerry Springer

Julian Clary

Gloria Hunniford

Sandie Shaw

James Ellroy

Annie Lennox

David Starkey

Kelly Holmes

Randy Newman

Heston Blumenthal

Jacqueline Wilson

Shirley Williams

Robert Harris

Thomas Keneally

Shami Chakrabarti

OwlTail

Kirsty Young's castaway is the cookery writer Anna Del Conte. Born to a wealthy Milanese family, she arrived in Britain in 1949 where her Italian ingenuity with food was sorely needed in a nation still facing rationing and no olive oil. Her books, starting with Portrait of Pasta in 1976, helped to change all that, and established her as a food hero for younger cooks like Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith. She has still more to teach however: whatever you do, she says, you shouldn't serve bolognese with spaghetti as it's just the wrong shape. Tagliatelle is much better. Record: Part of the duet from the first act of OtelloBook: The Leopard by Giuseppe Di LampedusaLuxury: Extra virgin olive oil.

Kirsty Young's castaway is the cookery writer Anna Del Conte. Born to a wealthy Milanese family, she arrived in Britain in 1949 where her Italian ingenuity with food was sorely needed in a nation still facing rationing and no olive oil. Her books, starting with Portrait of Pasta in 1976, helped to change all that, and established her as a food hero for younger cooks like Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith. She has still more to teach however: whatever you do, she says, you shouldn't serve bolognese with spaghetti as it's just the wrong shape. Tagliatelle is much better. Record: Part of the duet from the first act of Otello Book: The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa Luxury: Extra virgin olive oil.

Anna Del Conte: Che Gelida Manina - La Boheme; Triumphal March - Aida