pizza...

I can make really good pizza at home – it's a really easy thing to do – especially on the hot oven floor of the Aga, which is very like a pizza oven in temperature. But sometimes I don't...

When in Galway town there two good places for pizza, but for two different stages of your life! Monroe's, Dominick Street for a slice was our preference before children, a great pre– or post–pub spot! When you have kids though, you go to Milano's. For one simple reason - no matter how badly your children behave there's always someone else with a child being even more disgraceful than yours. The staff are so good and have seen it all before – some of them know Hannah & Lily almost as long as we have! They've as many high chairs as they have tables and the food is freshly made & consistently good. I have never been to Domino's or Papa John's and probably never will.

We rambled in on Saturday and received the usual friendly greeting - the girls had the kids deal starting with dough balls with garlic butter  (I love it when the kids smell of garlic!). Then Lily has pasta, which she demands in all restaurants, and Hannah has pizza. They both finish with some very good quality ice cream. Vanilla for one and the deepest, darkest chocolate for Hannah who was never fed much Dairymilk as a kiddie and as a result always goes for the good stuff.

 As you can probably gather, Milano's is a bit of a haven for us on a Saturday and when it comes time to feed the adults myself and The Editor split an 'Etna Romana' after a starter of 'Mushroom Bruchetta'. The Etna pizza is very hot, the Romana base very thin, but the peppers are so sweet and flavoursome that the 'face hurting' heat of them is not the memory that you are left with. It's the combination of good food & good (albeit young) company that makes this simple Italian meal so great... Buon appetito!