Amber Guinness

I was born in London but grew up in Tuscany. I studied history and Italian literature at the University of Edinburgh, working as a cook in both London and Italy in my spare time. I later worked for The River Cafe in London, first as a waitress and then briefly in the kitchen. In 2014, I co-founded The Arniano Painting School, a residential painting holiday in Italy where I cook lunch and dinner for guests in between their outdoor painting classes. After many years of guests asking me for recipes, I met a photographer who pitched the idea of a cookbook about Arniano to Thames & Hudson. They commissioned my first cookbook, A House Party in Tuscany, which was published in March 2022. I have now just handed in the manuscript for my second cookbook with them, Italian Coastal: Recipes and stories from Tuscany to Sicily (due to be published in April 2024), and am in the early stages for a third book. Since publishing my first book, I have become more active in the food world, appearing on Times Radio as a food writer and being a panellist at the Women in Food conference organised by the Italian newspaper Corriera della Serra.

Professions

Food historian

Special subjects

Italy
Italian food
Pasta
Home cooking
Entertaining
Hosting
Cooking for groups of 12-20 people

Regular work

Director of The Arniano Painting School
Author with Thames & Hudson
Reviewer for Tatler Travel Guide focussing on Italy

Languages spoken

English
Italian

Contact

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