Founded in 1899, San Pellegrino has been synonymous with the highest quality and style. It is definitely the sparkling mineral water per excellence and it can be found at the best tables in all major world capitals from the early twentieth century on.

What makes so special this water? Well, San Pellegrino is a burst of flavour in your mouth! Their lively and long-lived bubble creamy on the palate and the slightly salty taste makes this water unique giving an overall refreshing, thirst-quenching feel.

You can enjoy a bottle of S. Pellegrino during meals or on its own. Is also perfect for pairing with flavour food and full-bodied wines; because of its unique effervescence it brings out the best in the richest most flavourful dishes.

Every meal can be transformed into a true dining experience with S. Pellegrino from a restaurant dinner or at home cooking for your dearest friends!

We thought so!  But do you know the difference between Parmesan and Parmigiano- Reggiano?

Parmigiano Reggiano is regarded King of all cheeses, symbol of Italy, and one of the most imitated in the world.

Italy’s most famous D.O.P (Protected Designation of Origin) is a raw cow’s milk that can only be produced in the towns of Parma and Reggio Emilia in the Italian region of Emilia Romagna by a skilled cheese maker, member of the Consorzio.

Regulations for producing Parmigiano-Reggiano are quite strict, the milk must be heated in copper kettles, the starter culture for the cheese must be made in each dairy from the previous day’s whey and the certified cheese makers, who can oversee a maximum of seven kettles at a time, have all undergone apprenticeships for at least ten years.

The minimum ageing period for Parmigiano-Reggiano is 12 months; most is aged for at least 18 months. Is best between 20 and 30 months.

The structure of the cheese paste is unmistakable: granular, with the typical breaking in slivers and the particular fragrant and delicate aroma.

Do not confuse Parmigiano-Reggiano with “Parmesan”. Anyone, anywhere can make “Parmesan” cheese. Parmesan is much cheaper than genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano and invariably of lesser quality; it doesn’t have the distinct aroma or glorious flavour of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Parmesan is often excessively salty, and it lacks the nutty quality of flavour nuances of an authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Now that you’re an expert of Parmigiano-Reggiano (and surely craving for it!) here’s a couple of ideas of how you can pare it with food:

You can taste grated Parmigiano Reggiano on various dishes like pasta, or as ingredient for other Italian dishes.

It can be eaten also with fresh fruits like figs, pears, grapes or dried fruit such as prunes as well as nuts.

Profound Parmigiano needs a substantial red wine; one of our favourite wines to accompany this cheese is definitely Chianti Classico!

Buon appetito!

One of the most breathtaking places in Italy is definitely the Amalfi Coast, a place where the sea and sky merge in one vast blue horizon.

On the terraced hills of the Amalfi Coast the Mediterranean sun and ocean air combine with volcanic soil to produce the most famous and delicious lemons that creates a sweet tangy liqueur known as Limoncello.

Limoncello is a world renowned Italian liquer, traditionally made from the zest of Sorrento lemons with a sweet and yet refreshing lemon flavour.

In the Amalfi Coast, the lemons have very few seeds, minimising the bitterness, while the pulp is so rich with flavour that you can smell the sweetness through its skin!

Limoncello is traditionally served cold either before a meal to cleanse the palate or as a light and refreshing after-dinner beverage and sometimes used for cocktail mixing.

It is also used as an ingredient for desserts; some restaurants drizzle it on ice cream or in other desserts like cakes.

Imagine Limoncello and soon enough a lemony sweetness will start to play on your taste buds!

If you have not tried this delicious liqueur you’re really missing something! Remember this week we’re giving you a FREE Limoncello glass when you spend £40! Now you can drink Limoncello the Italian way!

Follow this link for more information http://bit.ly/Jyw3AN

We want to share with you a fun way to use fruits and veggies to create beautiful Easter eggs!

Here’s  our favourite way to make them:

1. Place the eggs in a saucepan. Add water until the eggs are covered.

2. Add approximately one teaspoon of vinegar

3. Add the natural dye. Use more dye material for a more intense colour

4. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes.  Prepare normal hard-boiled eggs.

5. If you’re pleased with the colour, remove the eggs from the liquid.

6. If you want more intensely coloured eggs, temporarily remove the eggs from the liquid, and leave them in the fridge overnight.

Naturally-coloured eggs will not be glossy, but if you want a shiny appearance you can rub a bit of cooking oil onto the eggs once they are dry.

Quick colour guide:

Green: Spinach Leaves (boiled)

Brown: Coffee

Blue: Canned Blueberries, Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled)

Yellow: Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled) Chamomile or Green Tea

Orange: Paprika, Yellow Onion Skins (boiled) Cooked Carrots

Pink: Raspberries, Beets

Red: Red Onions Skins (boiled) Pomegranate Juice

Final Tip! You can use fresh and frozen berries as ‘paints’, too. Simply crush the berries against dry boiled eggs. Try colouring on the eggs with crayons or wax pencils before boiling and dyeing them.

Happy Easter everyone!

The Colomba Pasquale or Colomba di Pasqua, is an Italian sweet bread, and the counterpart of the two well-known Italian Christmas cakes, panettone and pandoro.

The dough for the Colomba is made in a similar manner to panettone, with flour, eggs, sugar, natural yeast and butter, unlike panettone, it usually contains candied peel and no raisins, then is fashioned into a dove shape and finally is topped with pear sugar and almonds before being baked. Hence the name, Colomba (meaning dove) and Pasquale (meaning Easter).

This delicious sweet yeast dough traditionally closes Easter lunch with easter eggs, because since ancient times, the egg and the dove was given a strong symbolic value of peace, love and rebirth.

But how does this cake became a tradition on Italy?

The dove became a symbol of Italian Easter in the early decades of the twentieth century, when the company Motta decided to launch a similar cake to panettone, filled of raisins and candied fruits, with the shape of a dove covered with a glaze made of sugar, marzipan and amaretto.

The great popularity came in 1930, when the Milanese company commissioned Cassandre, (artist specialized in posters), to design and advert with a dove and the slogan:”Easter dove Motta, the dessert that tastes like spring.” Since then many variations have flourished from this sweet; enriched with cream and various toppings, or depleted of almonds and candied fruit.

So which version of Colomba do you prefer? Share with us!

This time we’ll give you the top secret from Italian restaurants to make the most delicious and gourmet pizza.

When it comes to pizza, it’s all about the right ingredients! You have to be very careful in the quality of the toppings and ingredients you use to create this delicious Italian recipe.  Top Italian chefs know the dough makes all the difference that’s why they only product they use to make the dough is Caputo Wheat Flour 00 Pizzeria.

This product comes from Naples, from an ancient tradition offering since 1924 the best quality Italian wheat flour. Molino Caputo, the company that makes this fabulous flour is known for making the world’s best pizza flour; they make this possible by continually testing a wide range of grains from around the world to find the characteristics that are right for pizza dough, and they do it using 100% natural ingredients without any additives.

You don’t need to be a chef to cook a great pizza, you just need the right ingredients, and since we just revealed the secret, you can certainly make the most delicious pizza like any other restaurant!

Now that you are ready to surprise your friends and family, check out our Italian Pizza Recipes to find the most delicious and traditional Italian toppings!

Buon Appetito!

Prized by gourmets worldwide this salami is unique of its kind and one of the oldest salami specifically linked to a certain region.

It is produced historically in the town of Felino (hence the name) and also in other towns such as Sala Baganza and Langhirano, all in the province of Parma. In the Emilia-Romagna and in other regions, it produces similar sausage salami, commonly called “tipo Felino”.

This special salami is the product of the best pork meat, and traditionally cut into slices that should be so thick as to hold one single pepper grain. The fresh meat used to make the salami is carefully selected from deboned shoulder and belly that is ground with lean and fat cuts of ham.

It has a very high proportion of lean pork to fat and is flavoured with peppercorns, a small amount of garlic and the local white wine; it also comes with a slice of deep red, with white fat ground. The aroma is intense, very characteristic, while the flavour is delicate.

You can enjoy Salame Felino with Parmigiano cheese, eaten with bread, or if you prefer just with some simple crusty bread and a light wine like Lambrusco.

Buon Appetito!

It is now the hottest item on menus from London to Paris. Every new restaurant in UK has this trendy item on the list: Burrata!

A relatively modern specialty from Puglia, Burrata was invented in Andria at the beginning of the 20^th century. Burrata was made in order to rescue the little scraps of buffalo mozzarella that were leftover in the cheesemaking, sure they never imagined the delicious result of this!

The name burrata means “buttered” in Italian, so you can imagine the ultra-soft and creamy flavour it has! This unique cheese has a thin spun casing and a soft buttery center, which is made from fresh cream and unspun mozzarella curds. It is often wrapped in “asfodelo” which is an herb-like plant similar to leeks to ensure an incurably creamy consistence and unique flavour.

The flavour and different textures of the inside and outside make it go well with salads, prosciutto, crusty bread, fresh tomatoes with olive oil, and also with pasta.

This unique and trendy cheese definitely captures the fine line between milk and cheese. If you love fresh and creamy cheeses, you definitely find your soul mate!

So next time you plan a dinner with friends or family, you know you can’t miss this trendy and delicious cheese in the menu!

Giorgio Locatelli and his wife Plaxy have worked in partnership with the owners of Tenimenti Montoni Estate in western Sicily to create Locadeli Olive Oil.

Unlike other olive oils, Locadeli is unfiltered. The olives are hand-picked, washed and then milled within hours; so ensuring the fruit is of the highest quality possible. The impurities are then left to fall to the bottom where they are removed from the process. The result is a green-gold coloured oil with a pure taste and velvety smooth texture.

The oil has been selected for its fragrant, rich and spicy flavour, aided by the mature orchards of the Nocellara variety of olive tree, where the age of the olive trees ranges from 20 to 50 years old.

The notes of cut grass, tomato and artichoke make it an ideal accompaniment to grilled meats and cheeses.

Locadeli oil is used at Giorgio and Plaxy’s restaurant Locanda Locatelli where it is included in many of the lauded dishes. In particular, Giorgio recommends Locadeli to create a marinade for all grilled meats and fish such as fresh tuna. Simply mix crushed garlic, lemon zest, parsley and the oil and rub generously over the meat before cooking.

Now you can find the exclusive Locadeli oil at Nifeislife and enjoy it with your family and friends as a perfect dressing, a marinade, or just on its own with plenty of crusty bread.

Buon Appetito!

The production process is inherited from an ancient tradition. Imported from the Friulian town of San Daniele, the purity of the climate and the care in the process of making each prosciutto puts this ham in a class of its own.

This ham has a uniform pinkish-red colour, with intense fragrance and a sweet, delicate taste and a lingering aftertaste.

If you are worried about cholesterol and other healthy issues, you don’t have to feel guilty or concerned about eating this ham, because actually it is an excellent source of high quality complete proteins, vitamins and minerals, and it is free from additives and preservatives. Due to its high nutritional value and easy digestibility, it is suitable for any diet and ideal for athletes, infants and the elderly.

There are many ways to enjoy Prosciutto di San Daniele, you can have it as a main course with meat, as a starter with veggies our fruits like apple or pear, and also you can enjoy it with pasta and risotto. Definitely a most in every kitchen!

Have you ever tasted Prosciutto San Daniele? Tell us what you think!