Pippa Mattei, culinary ambassador for Malta

Of course our interview took place in the Mattei kitchen, a hub of activity in the Attard household, about which a mutual friend from Naples always says, “Something interesting is always going on in that kitchen.”

“The whole thing came out of the blue,” Mattei, 60, whose second book Pippa’s Festa has cemented her name inside the halls of fame of local culinary culture.

“I received an email last October from Edouard Cointreau, founder and president of Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, suggesting I submit my most recent book Pippa’s Festa.

“That was the first I’d ever heard of it. I had never sent him the book to review so I’m guessing that he saw something online and got his hands on a copy.”

26,000 cookbooks are published around the world every year, and in this year’s edition of the GWCA, 154 countries were represented in 53 categories. Mattei’s book made it to the preliminary round in two categories for the Best Mediterranean Award and the Best Entertainment Award. The book was the only entry to represent Malta competing against other international chefs including the likes of Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith, who have all participated in the Awards in the past.

“In January I received a notification to say that the book had reached the finals in the Best Entertaining category, so we decided to go to the fair where the award ceremony was taking place at La Cent Quatre in Paris over the first weekend of March.

“After having seen the other books I was competing against I had some faith that the book stood a chance, however I never expected to win the award.

“The food fair was excellent, with demos being shown every hour by experts in various fields from all over the world, from a chef from Beijing explaining how to cook Peking duck to demonstrations organised by Martha Stewart. They were very educational, showing people how to advance in the business of food and I was pleased to learn that I am pretty much on the right track.”

The award ceremony was attended by 1,200 people. Cointreau announced Mattei, the winner, as hailing from a country never before represented in the GWCA, putting Malta on the culinary map. The category included 28 countries of which Malta came out on top, followed by the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium.

During her acceptance speech, Mattei thanked all the people who helped make this possible including her husband, John – before they married, she could just about scramble an egg.

“Though I couldn’t cook a thing before I got married, my grandfather and two of my aunts were fantastic cooks so there was some cooking in the family. When I married into the Mattei family, who are all fabulous cooks, I had to learn, and this award is the culmination of 35 years of hard work.

“Cooking has become a family affair, with many of our family conversations and activities centred around food. The book could not have happened without my family. My daughter Emma, who is a freelance writer, helped with the editing of the book, while my son Alex, who runs his own catering company, helped with food styling, and, of course, John has been my assistant chef throughout.”

Many of Pippa’s dishes are tried-and-tested traditional dishes that have come from hand-me-down recipes. “I like to think of the recipes that feature in my books as traditional recipes that are easy to follow and ones that always work. Aside from the traditional recipes I also experiment a lot with new food ideas. I buy a lot of magazines and try to keep up with the latest culinary fashions.

“I’ve recently perfected lavender cupcakes that are simply superb and, together with my son Alex, am perfecting a recipe for macaroons. While in Paris we went to visit Ladurée, makers of the world’s finest macaroons, and they compare pretty well to the ones we are turning out.

“Alex and I also produce novelty cakes for special occasions. While I do the baking, Alex does the decorating with sugar paste. Cooking is an ongoing adventure and I don’t plan to stop.”

Insofar as the future goes, Mattei is open to anything that “comes out of the blue”, as did the award. She hopes that both of her books will be translated into Maltese and other languages in order to reach a wider audience.

She is also a regular writer for Gourmet Today magazine as well as other publications and though she has no plans to write another book yet, she says anything could happen.

On an international scale she has also been on television for a Greek production company FT and on a nationwide programme filmed in Washington where she prepared a traditional Maltese meal.

Mattei also hosts a number of cookery classes throughout the winter that have been running for a number of years. She also organises international groups, taking them to markets in Malta to purchase fresh local foods, to return to their home and provide a cooking demonstration followed by a meal with some Maltese wine served by husband John.