Episode 1

Michela Chiappa heads to Snowdonia to meet the Algieri family. Like Michela, they are Welsh-Italian food lovers, and the tale which unfolds as they let her into the secrets of their family cookbook is an unexpected one of love, war, and meatballs.

It is the real-life Romeo and Juliet story of Vincenzo Algieri and Betty Evans – two star-crossed lovers who, despite being on opposite sides of a global conflict, found the love of a lifetime against all the odds during World War Two. From different cultures and speaking different languages, Vincenzo and Betty bonded over food - traditional Italian dishes the family still treasure to this day.

75 years after Betty and Vincenzo first met, grandson Huw has some clues of the epic tale the lies within his family history but wants to fill in the blanks. With Michela’s help and cooking up plenty of tasty dishes along the way, they go in search of the missing pieces leading to a pilgrimage to Vincenzo’s homeland in search of the places, recipes, and Italian relatives they never knew. Back in Wales, they arrange a family reunion in their old family Snowdonia farmhouse where they have not gathered together for two decades.