How to Bake a New Beginning

by Lucy Knott

  Amanda took another biscuit and bent down to kiss her nanna on the forehead. ‘I love you,’ she said, with a mouthful of amaretti.

  ‘God bless you,’ Nanna replied, her voice wobbling slightly. ‘Grazie, grazie for helping Grandpa.’

  Amanda leant down and kissed the top of her forehead once more, her nanna’s rose scent filling her heart with contentment.

  ‘What time is it?’ Grandpa asked, squinting through his round glasses, to see the clock above the fireplace better.

  ‘Nearly time, Grandpa,’ Louisa answered. Both sisters knew all too well why he was asking. Amanda and Louisa’s sister, Sabrina, was due any minute and Grandpa had spent the better part of the morning looking at the clock. It had been a while since he’d had all three of his granddaughters together. His excitement was clear from the sparkle in his eyes.

  ‘Ahh, I ask you too many times,’ Grandpa said, shrugging his shoulders and placing his hand on top of Louisa’s biscuit-free hand.

  ‘No, no, it’s OK, Grandpa – we’re excited too. We understand,’ Louisa replied, chewing a crunchy Pirouette thoughtfully.

  ‘But what more is there for me to think about?’ he continued, turning to face Louisa.

  Amanda smiled, knowing this action meant Grandpa was about to impart some wisdom.

  ‘At my age, what is more important than family? What do I have to think about? To make sure they are fed, me and Nanna have food for them. I must think about you girls being safe. Your mamma, yes, she looks after you and well, yes, your daddy can provide for you, but me and Nanna, we can only do so much. We can help too. We are always thinking like you are our own daughters.’

  Her grandpa’s broken English made Amanda’s heart soar. The girls were fluent in Italian, but they often alternated between the two languages when speaking with their nonni. It helped them all: the girls to keep their Italian fresh and their nonni to understand English better for when they needed to speak with English family and friends.

  At that moment, the doorbell rang. Both girls looked at each other with Cheshire-cat-like grins. Louisa sprang up from her seat. Amanda stood up, less frantic. Both Nanna and Grandpa sat upright, their eyes shining like they had just won the lottery.

  ‘She’s here,’ squealed Louisa, gently shoving Amanda out of the way and racing to the door. ‘I’ll get it.’

  Amanda merely chuckled and walked behind, allowing her little sister to take the lead. Louisa often got angry with Sabrina for moving away to LA and leaving everyone behind, but it never changed how excited she got when Sabrina came home. Amanda, on the other hand, was a little more reserved. She was pleased her sister had followed her dreams and over the moon that Dan and his band were in good hands, but there remained a part of her that stubbornly missed Sabrina and was mad with her for being so far away too.

  ‘The eagle has landed,’ Mum reported as she came through the front door first, arms loaded with birthday balloons and cards, having just picked up ‘the eagle’ from the airport. ‘Safe and sound – she’s home,’ Mum said. Her eyes shone as she kissed Amanda and Louisa, as they passed each other in the corridor. Mum continued to the living room to say hello to her parents, as Amanda walked leisurely outside, and Louisa practically flew.

  Like a local celebrity, Sabrina, the middle child, was standing in the middle of the path, between the cherry trees and the fence. Her sandy blonde hair was blowing in the breeze and she had clearly picked up an LA tan. Amanda noticed her bronzed skin glowing under the soft British sun, as Sabrina waved and said hi to the neighbours.

  ‘All right, Jennifer Lawrence, it’s only been an entire year – we all haven’t missed you that much,’ Amanda shouted into the street, from her position leaning casually against the doorframe.

  Sabrina turned to face them at the same time Louisa leapt outside and nearly bowled her sister over with a hug.

  ‘I’ve missed you, Brina,’ Louisa said, sweetly, as Sabrina gasped for air, Louisa’s hug choking her. Amanda looked on in amusement.

  ‘I’ve missed you too, Lou. It’s good to see you. It feels good to breathe in this British air.’ Sabrina took a big breath in, as Louisa let her go, and then she let out a deep sigh. Amanda knew she loved parts of her life in LA, but it comforted her to know that it hadn’t stolen her sister just yet. Watching her hazel eyes soften as she took in the surroundings, she could tell Sabrina was happy to be back and that nothing compared to home.

  ‘You look exhausted. So, what presents did you bring back?’ Amanda asked, leaving her position by the front door and wandering over to join the party.

  ‘Always so kind with the compliments, aren’t we? I might have gifts for you, but I’ll be needing a hug first,’ Sabrina said, and waved her arms in the air, dramatically motioning for a hug, while giving her big sister her best puppy dog impression.

  ‘That we are, and it better be an awesome gift. I can’t just be giving away free hugs,’ Amanda said, rolling her eyes and stepping forward to hug her sister.

  ‘Come on, Brina, Nanna and Grandpa are so excited to see you. You know what Grandpa’s like – he hasn’t stopped asking about you all day. Plus, we’ve held off with the birthday celebrations till you got here,’ Louisa said, grabbing her sister by the arm and pulling her towards the house. Amanda strolled calmly behind them. Though she didn’t quite display her emotions on her sleeve like Louisa did, there was no hiding the bright smile that was now etched on Amanda’s face.

  ***

  The dining room was full of colour. Red, green and white balloons were bunched up – dangling from the doorframes and curtains – and wrapping paper had been strewn across the table, as had bags of pasta and vibrant Italian cake boxes.

  Sabrina’s eyes drifted round the table. She took in everyone’s features, everyone’s movements: her mother’s chocolate eyes sparkled with pure delight; Dad had his hands resting on his stomach as he leant back in his chair, stuffed and happy from all the food; Grandpa’s eyes twinkled; Nanna’s smile reached all the way to her ears, making her look twenty-one and carefree again; Amanda’s green eyes focused intently on the food in front of her and Louisa simply watched her grandpa, making sure he had everything he needed.

  Everyone talked over one another, laughing uncontrollably in between devouring each piece of pizza quicker than the speed of light. In that moment, she felt content, like there truly was no place on earth she would rather be. All the stress and drama of work melted away like the mouth-watering mozzarella she was chewing; it was heaven on earth.

  ‘Grandpa, I sure have missed this,’ she said, holding her piece of pizza in the air, like it was a trophy.

  ‘You can get pizza in America, no?’ Grandpa replied with a cheeky grin.

  ‘Ha, you know as well as I do, Grandpa, that no pizza on the planet tastes as good as this. No one will ever be able to make it taste as amazing as you do,’ Amanda said.

  Sabrina loved the passion her sister had for their grandpa’s food. It made her laugh hearing Amanda’s voice rise with pride when talking about his pizza.

  ‘It’s crisp, yet chewy, with the perfect amount of crunch, and it’s as light as air,’ her big sister continued.

  Sabrina watched as Grandpa’s gaze met Amanda’s and he gave her a small wink. They were like two peas in a pod.

  ‘Hear, hear,’ Sabrina chanted, raising her wineglass now that her pizza had been demolished. She felt dizzy on love and Lambrusco, but her eyes threatened to roll back in her head. Amanda had been right: she not only looked exhausted, she absolutely felt it too. Her bones were heavy, her neck tight. She rolled her head from side to side, hoping it would loosen up.

  ‘It’s good to have you home, sweetheart,’ Dad said, raising his glass and clinking it against hers.

  ‘It feels great to be home, Dad.’ Sabrina smiled softly. It really did feel wonderful to be home. Her shoulders relaxed at the thought of not having to deal with her wouldn’t go amiss in a Disney villain line-up, Cruella de Vil of a boss, Lydia, for the next few days.r />
  The warmth of the room and the bubbles from the Lambrusco made her feel a world away from LA. Tonight she was surrounded by the people she loved more than she could say, and who genuinely loved and cared for her. ‘Buon compleanno, Grandpa,’ she shouted, raising her glass to the room once more. Seeing her grandpa’s face light up would keep jet lag at bay for a while longer.

  ‘Mamma mia, grazie, grazie. How many girls have I got here now?’ Grandpa said. His voice filled the small dining room, his happiness radiating to each of them.

  ‘Buon compleanno,’ Nanna shouted, clapping her hands together. ‘Louisa, get the pandoro. Come on, come on.’ Nanna too was thrilled to have all her girls round the table together. Any time this happened was cause for cake and celebrations, but when it came to birthdays and special times like Christmas, Nanna looked like a child, her face etched with glee. She looked to her husband and whispered, ‘Buon compleanno, my dear,’ before cutting a huge slice of pandoro and placing it in front of him. She then went back to cutting more big chunks of cake and passed everyone a piece. ‘Be happy, happy,’ Nanna continued. ‘Ahh grazie, God.’

  Sabrina wasn’t sure her stomach could handle the mountain of pandoro in front of her, after eating so much pizza and drinking a fair bit of wine, in addition to jet lag that had now kicked in, but it smelt so buttery and delicious and Nanna was staring at her expectantly. Not eating it was not an option – it was never an option. Plus, she was only in town for a week. She had to eat all her favourites while she could get them, and it was Grandpa’s ninety-sixth birthday after all.

  With these thoughts sloshing round her brain, she laughed to herself and took a huge bite. No sooner had the vanilla flavour hit her taste buds than her slice had gone. So much for not having any room left.

  ‘Grazie, Nanna,’ she whispered, with a chuckle.

  Chapter 3

  Grandpa’s Pancakes

  Ingredients:

  Flour

  Sugar

  Egg

  Milk

  Butter

  Nutella

  What to do:

  Mix around 4 tablespoons of flour with 2 teaspoons of sugar, an egg and a cup of milk, until smooth.

  Heat up a saucepan and add a dab of butter.

  Pour in a ladle full of pancake batter and swirl round like Grandpa does.

  You will know when one side is done because small bubbles will form. Flip it over and cook the other side.

  Smother in Nutella.

  The birds were chirping in the garden. The whistles of the wintry winds could be heard through the glass. There was a peacefulness to a Sunday morning that Amanda couldn’t get enough of. It was her one full day away from work and that meant she was up at the crack of dawn ready for a day of spending time with family, catching up on reading, cleaning and actually getting to experiment in her own kitchen. Though she had taken yesterday off too – for the first time in a very long time – Sundays always felt special and she liked to make the most of them.

  ‘Rise and shine, sleeping beauties,’ Amanda said walking into her guest bedroom and opening the silk pink curtains wide, to let the morning sunshine boldly fill up the room.

  ‘Oh gosh, what time is it?’ Louisa whined, pulling her pillow over her face. She was lying next to Sabrina in the double bed.

  Sabrina threw her arms up to shield against the imposing light. ‘Jet lag is a thing, Amanda – look it up. I need rest,’ she said, her eyes still firmly shut.

  ‘There’s no time for rest. You’re only here for a week. I told Grandpa we would pop over for leftover cake before we hit the shops. And I don’t get much time away from the kitchen, which means we won’t get much time this week to do said shopping, so, we are going to make the most of today,’ Amanda told them, cracking open a window to wake them up with fresh air, which received further moans.

  ‘Chop, chop. You too, Lou. With our work schedules we rarely see each other and you live fifteen minutes away from me – and that’s a bit pathetic,’ she added, with an edge to her voice that made Louisa sit up straight. Amanda wasn’t exactly blaming Louisa, she was mad at herself too. The schedule of a chef wasn’t for the faint-hearted.

  Amanda busied herself with her routine Sunday morning cleaning while waiting for her sisters to get ready. She was halfway through dusting the window ledges when they appeared before her, surprisingly fully dressed and ready for the day. Amanda was the early bird out of the three of them. She did enjoy a lie-in every couple of months, but just like her grandpa, she always had something to bake. Cooking in the morning while still in her pyjamas had become a little piece of bliss for her.

  Sundays were usually Sabrina’s only day off in LA. Amanda was aware of this fact, and knew Sabrina liked to sleep in, but she would have plenty of time for that on her vacation in the coming weekdays when everyone else was working. As for Louisa, an extra hour and grumpy would be kept at bay, but once they were at Nanna and Grandpa’s, Amanda knew her baby sister would be anything but grumpy. Nonni were special like that. Amanda just had to get her up and moving.

  The clock had just moved past eight-thirty as Amanda, casually glam and put together in her black pinstriped trousers and oversized rose embroidered grey jumper; Sabrina in her usual floaty dress and tights ensemble, minimal make-up yet as gorgeous as ever; and Louisa with her sleek black blazer, skinny blue jeans and white Converse pumps, stepped out into the crisp December air, giant teddy bear coats covering their individual fashion tastes.

  Growing up, the three of them were chained together at the hip and that’s how they thought it would forever be, but dreams and jobs had led them in different directions. Amanda and Louisa hadn’t been too fond of Sabrina leaving them and jetting off to LA. They had disapproved at first and it had taken a lot of convincing on Sabrina’s part that it wouldn’t be for too long and that she still honoured their pact – this pact being that by the time they all reached thirty they would have houses on the same street, a five-minute walk from their mum and dad.

  Slowly the girls began to understand Sabrina’s dream and had come around to being supportive. Amanda of all people knew the importance of travelling, having spent so much time away herself. It was always temporary though, and her heart always led her back home.

  The girls made time to visit each other as often as work would allow. This week it was Amanda’s turn to play host and she couldn’t have been more thrilled. The strain of jobs, and the fact it had been a year since Sabrina’s last visit, had been causing an unwelcome tension over the past few months. Amanda didn’t care for being snappy, but at times she was aware that she could be. It wasn’t a trait she wanted to exude. She hoped today she and her sisters could get some much-needed girl time for the sake of their sanity.

  Amanda, the oldest of the girls, was baking and cooking up a storm by the age of eight. Though all the girls enjoyed cooking with their nonni, Amanda had taken to it like a duck to water, and it was very rare to see her out of her ‘I can’t keep calm, I’m Italian’ apron. The days spent in the kitchen studying their nanna and grandpa were priceless and her passion never faltered when she left their house.

  At twenty-seven, Amanda was now a fully certified chef. She had qualifications, certificates and diplomas in professional patisserie, culinary arts – you name it. She had travelled the world taking numerous courses and immersing herself in different cultures and their cuisines. That was until three years ago. After a month exploring San Francisco, she had come back feeling inspired and full of vigour and decided to put her travel plans on hold. She wanted to focus on learning all there was to know about running a restaurant. She found herself a cosy spot in Manchester Piccadilly, at the popular Rusk, where she served British food with an elegant twist.

  Amanda had been there two and a half years now and besides having to deal with a rather sleazy sous chef, she was happy, or more accurately, she was comfortable. It suited her. After her years spent travelling, she liked being close to her mum and dad, Louisa and home comforts. />
  When it was Amanda’s turn to have the girls over, they knew they were in for a few tasty treats. All Sabrina ever wanted when she came home from LA was Grandpa’s pizza. She requested it every night, and as for Louisa, she could never say no to pizza. After a brief stint away in London for university, her baby sister appreciated Amanda’s home cooking that much more.

  Amanda had doubled over laughing when Louisa had expressed sheer horror at the foods she saw her fellow students eat. It seemed their nonni and Amanda had created a little bit of a food snob in Louisa – no microwave meals or Pot Noodles for her.

  ***

  Grandpa was waiting in the garden perched on an old brown garden bench, in his heavy black padded coat, when the girls pulled up.

  ‘Grandpa,’ Louisa shouted, un-clicking her seatbelt and opening the car door before Amanda even had the car in park.

  ‘Lou,’ Sabrina yelled. But Louisa was blissfully unaware of giving her sisters a mild panic attack as she wrapped her arms around their grandpa. Amanda turned off the engine. Seeing the joy on her grandpa’s face, now that all three of his granddaughters were with him, melted away any twinge of annoyance at her little sister.

  She walked over to Grandpa and kissed his forehead. ‘I love you,’ she whispered.

  ‘Anche io,’ he replied, kissing her cheek.

  Sabrina opened the front door, calling to Nanna to inform her of their arrival as Amanda and Louisa helped Grandpa up.

  ‘Now, let’s get inside for some coffee and cake and to warm you up,’ Amanda suggested.

  ***

  The afternoon brought with it an icy nip. Amanda rubbed at the sleeves of her grey jumper. Shopping with a puffy jacket on was never a good idea. Being hot and stuffy while trying to weave in and out of bustling crowds and undressing in a tiny changing room with a million layers on never produced a successful shop and so she had left her teddy coat in the car. However, the jumper she was currently sporting was not ideal when the breeze picked up, causing Amanda to shiver. The only thing keeping her from aborting the shopping mission was a happy stomach full to the brim with Cantuccini and birthday trifle.