A LOCAL apres-ski evening gives Sandra Carter a taste of Alpine country cooking.

In the mountain homes of north Italy, you’ll find simple comfort food that is perfect for skiers returning from the snow slopes.

It’s great for a cold winter’s night here too.

The unique cuisine of the Italian mountains was celebrated last week when Giancarlo Caldesi hosted an apres-ski themed evening at his restaurant Caldesi in Campagna in the Thames-side village of Bray.

Giancarlo is the ideal person to reveal the charms of this region.

Not only did he grow up in an Italian family of nine with a mama whose gift for creating memorable meals from simple local products still makes his mouth water.

He and his wife Katie have taken long journeys exploring the authentic home cooking of his homeland and sharing it with the rest of us through a string of cookbooks.

The Gerrards Cross couple also run Caldesi Italian restaurants in Marylebone and Bray, appear on numerous TV cookery shows and run thriving cookery schools.

Tonight we are in Bray for a one-off mountain chalet dining event.

“In the mountains in the winter people traditionally create good healthy fare using necessity, hard work and love,” Giancarlo tells the group of diners who have signed up for this special evening.

“It is simple food but prepared with care and love and I have very happy memories of sitting in mountain homes to share such meals.”

Since this is a Caldesi restaurant, our meal begins not quite so simply, with a prettily presented amuse-bouche of cured sausage with a tasty shaving of Parmesan enlivened with balsamic.

Then as we’re still in new year mood, a hearty lentil stew with cotechino, an unusual and very tasty regional sausage.

“Lentils are always served at New Year as a symbol of good luck and prosperity for the coming year,” Giancarlo explains.

No Italian rural meal is complete without pasta, and we were next presented with a dish of ‘original style’ macaroni cheese, cooked the authentic way with just cream and cheese plus a touch of Caldesi magic with shavings of truffle.

Country cooks always know how to make something great from simple ingredients, and our meat course is wonderful.

Slow-cooked beef cheeks have been simmering in red wine for most of the day and the meat is meltingly tender and tasty.

It comes with another north Italian family favourite, silky smooth polenta.

The sweet finale is alpine apple strudel, untraditionally presented as individual filo cushions hiding spicy fruit.

Giancarlo and Katie clearly love sharing their passion for all things Italian, and their two restaurants run themed evenings throughout the year.

The cookery courses, held at their home in Gerrards Cross as well as at Bray and Marylebone, feature a wide range of subjects, from wine pairing to their research for their latest books on health, weight loss and beating type 2 diabetes.

For details of the restaurants, courses and books see caldesi.com.