What a heartwarming picture book! With bright and fun illustrations that capture the joy of life’s simple pleasures, Sundays Under the Lemon Tree brings us a story about family and food. Every Sunday, a family comes together, eating scrumptious home-cooked delights under the large lemon tree in their backyard. One Sunday, a young child gets to help collect seawater to make fresh ricotta and take part in making her grandma’s apple cake. Peering through the door of the oven to watch over the cake as it bakes, the smells of cinnamon, sugar and golden-brown apples waft out of the pages, bringing to life the simple pleasure of a freshly baked cake.

Reading this story brought back my own memories of taking part in la raccolta delle olive (the olive harvest) and learning some of my own family recipes. Excitingly, flicking to the very back of the book you will find Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s own recipe for the lemon, apple and ricotta cake made throughout the book – the cherry on top of such a sweet story. For ages 4+.