Growing up, I knew we had different food, put it like that. We were brought up with a big Italian influence. So my mum would make torta di patate (potato pie) or torta di spinaci, (spinach pie), and no one really had that as a kid. And my grandmother made bread and no one really did that. But, of course, we knew what a McDonald’s was and we knew what fizzy drinks were. We just didn’t buy them.
I’m proud to be British, but I support Italy over England in the World Cup – to the disgust of all my football friends. When we won the Euros – listen to me, “we” – when the Italians won the Euros a couple of years ago [2021], I was in the local pub with my Italian shirt on. And even one of my godchildren says: “I’ve still never forgiven you for that.” So, in that respect, I probably feel more Italian than British.
