Rick Stein's Taste Of The Italian Opera

So Rick Stein has cleverly combined the two subjects to create this flimsy excuse to head off on yet another of his continental jollies . . . I’m so sorry, I meant to say ‘to create this fascinating look at how Italian culture finds the themes of food and music intrinsically linked.

Or something.’ But in all fairness, Rick’s culinary travelogues (this is just a one-off, as part of the Opera On The BBC season) are never less than entertaining. In this one he suggests there are parallels between cooking and composing – both involving the skilful combination of ingredients and sharing the common purpose of bringing pleasure to many. Mind you, I reckon you or I could have come up with that line.