Does Italian food need Italian ingredients? Yes, and no. If you have fantastic fish and lamb on your doorstep, you’d be a fool to ignore them. Not only can you buy safely, knowing its provenance - for example, much of our beef and lamb comes from Monkridge Hill Farm in Redesdale, Northumberland - but food which hasn’t travelled far, obviously, is the freshest. And, when it comes to cooking, you can still use Italian techniques.

But... To create distinctive Italian flavours, many ingredients positively, absolutely need to be sourced in Italy. Olives, olive oil, risotto rice, durum wheat pasta, cured meats, roasted coffee beans, cheeses … Partly it’s because the right climate and soil conditions don’t exist in the UK, partly it’s because centuries of hard-won skill are all but impossible to transfer over here.

In sourcing ingredients we look for quality (obviously), expertise and, where possible, an organic approach. We also like to support small-scale artisan producers.