Lime, Lemon and Sarsaparilla is a wonderful evocation of Italian life in south Wales from the turn of the century to the post-war years, when the Italian café was central to the social life of many small communities in the valleys.

This first detailed book on the subject follows the fortunes of Italian families such as Rabaiotti, Berni, Bracchi, Conti, Fulgoni, Sidoli and many others, and explores their influence on Welsh society.

Colin Hughes is a former engineer and civil servant, now living in Buckinghamshire.