An Italian with a passion for the food of her native country is opening up a unique place to enjoy a dinner party in Carlisle.

After much encouragement from friends who love her cooking, Patrizia Wood is opening up her own eatery in the Carlisle Antiques Centre, Cecil Street, off Botchergate, where she will cook authentic Italian food for dinner parties.

The new Casa Crisci has enough room for around 14 friends to sit and enjoy Mrs Wood’s food. She has a passion for food and cooking is in her blood – her parents ran a Michelin star restaurant on the Adriatic Coast in Italy and her grandmother was a very good cook.

Earlier this year, Mrs Wood, 53, started cooking dinners at people’s houses and was encouraged to start her own place. She said: “All my friends know how much I love to cook. Every time I invite them to dinner they always say to me, ‘Why don’t you open up your own place?’.”

It is 18 years since Mrs Wood first moved to Carlisle. She lives in Denton Holme and will juggle her new venture with her job at Marks & Spencer, where she works three days a week.

Mrs Wood is keen to try out lots of different dishes and will offer a selection of four starters, a main course and a pudding for £20 at the dinner parties.

She will also open up Casa Crisci for lunch a few days a week. She will be serving up freshly made Italian food and insists there will be no lasagna and chips!

Mrs Wood said: “I think it could be quite nice because it’s a lovely little place. It’s not very big but it’s just something very cosy and you can just have a nice dinner.”

Mrs Wood likes trying out different dishes – she recently made a savoury crumble with cauliflower, ham and mushroom – and can arrange to make anything people want.

She is opening for lunches next Tuesday and Wednesday and is also hosting tasting evenings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, October 12, 13 and 14. To book a place on the tasting evenings call Mrs Wood on 07708 981116.