Tuscans are good at keeping things simple, at bringing out the best in even the humblest of ingredients with very little. But they are also blessed with having access to first-class produce. Thankfully, the British food scene has progressed substantially in the past two decades and it is now possible to get most ingredients online. Here I recommend the delicatessens I turn to most when I am in the UK.
Valvona & Crolla
For cheese and presents
Some of the cheeses on show at Valvona & Crolla
Valvona & Crolla, at the top of Leith Walk in Edinburgh, saw me through university when I was homesick for Tuscany. It is a treasure trove of Italian goodies, with legs of prosciutto hanging from the ceiling and beautifully packaged products on the shelves. Established in 1934 by the Contini family, four generations later it is run by Francesca and Olivia Contini, who now deliver across the UK. This is where I would head for Italian cheese — its pecorino romano is perfect for making pici cacio e pepe and the gorgonzola dolce is what I would use to make radicchio and gorgonzola lasagne. The fresh produce is great too, so you can buy the radicchio as well as the pasta sheets.
valvonacrolla.co.uk
Petersham Cellar
For olive oil and wine
Petersham Cellar has a fabulous selection of Tuscan wines and olive oils
MATT AUSTIN
Using very good cold-extracted olive oil is perhaps the easiest way to elevate the simplest grilled vegetables or soup. Having easy access to first-class olive oil is one of the great joys of living in Tuscany. Its unctuous green colour and peppery taste are one of the highlights of November when the olives are harvested and pressed to make olio nuovo (new oil). You can now get one of the best on the market, Castello di Fonterutoli, delivered to your door from Petersham Cellar, the online platform set up by the husband-and-wife duo Lara Boglione and Giovanni Mazzei. It also has a fabulous selection of Tuscan wines and olive oils, including from Giovanni’s own family estates. Castello di Fonterutoli olive oil is not the bottle of oil to cook with; it’s ideal for that last drizzle when assembling a dish or for making chocolate and olive oil mousse, one of my favourite desserts.
petershamcellar.com
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Crouch’s Italian Deli
For charcuterie and cheese
Crouch’s charcuterie stand at Borough market
One of the best Italian produce importers in the UK, the Crouchs started their business in Borough market in 2007 when they bought some legs of Parma ham, borrowed a meat slicer and traded from an umbrella stand on weekends. They have since become an established market-stall holder, open Tuesday to Sunday, working directly with a range of small-batch producers across Italy and importing products weekly to their Borough warehouse. You can now buy from their excellent selection online if you can’t get to Borough. This is the perfect site to head to for your aperitivo, to buy slices of finocchiona, a fennel-infused salami from Florence, and silky slices of prosciutto di Parma to serve alongside the coccoli, moreish deep-fried dough balls, which are perfect with a glass of prosecco or a negroni.
crouchs.co.uk
Prezzemolo & Vitale
For Italian sausages
Prezzemolo & Vitale stock the Salsicciamo brand which makes sausages using traditional Italian methods
Prezzemolo & Vitale, founded by Giuseppe Prezzemolo and Giusi Vitale in the 1980s, is my first stop for Italian ingredients when I’m in London. It prides itself on niche products and short supply chains, and is happy to deliver across the UK. This is where I buy Italian sausages for my sausage, lentil and chickpea stew. Italian sausages are fat, plump and have a thicker grain than their English counterparts, meaning they hold their shape much better. The Salsicciamo brand stocked by Prezzemolo & Vitale makes its salsiccia classica sausages in the UK using traditional Italian methods. The shop also has lovely fresh produce including fabulous bitterleaf radicchio and beautiful cherry tomatoes, and a proper charcuterie counter where I buy truffled mortadella.
prezzemoloevitale.co.uk
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Delicatezza
For pantry staples
Delicatezza stocks Italian pantry staples, including De Cecco and Rummo pasta
This is a really useful online store for Italian pantry staples at reasonable prices — they never seem to be more than about 20 per cent more than I would pay in my local Esselunga supermarket in Italy. This is where I head to buy my go-to pasta brands, De Cecco and Rummo, and my favourite stock cubes, Il Mio Dado Classico by Star, which are the most popular in Italy and far better than any I have found in the UK — they elevate any soup, including my vegetable minestrone. The shop also sells amarena cherries, one of the main ingredients of my chocolate and amarena cherry cake.
delicatezza.co.uk
Eataly
For drinks
Eataly is a very useful resource for Italian produce
This is not exactly family run, but is a very useful place for anyone looking to source Italian produce. Aside from having very good fresh pasta, Eataly offers a perfectly well-stocked bar section to which I often turn when I am after the ultimate cocktail for winter in Tuscany — the negroni. Said to have been invented in Bar Rivoire, a glamorous spot on Piazza della Signoria in Florence, this drink is an emblem of the city. I find it hard in the UK to get hold of the necessary ingredients to mix my perfect negroni — Cinzano Vermouth Rosso and Campari. The type of gin is less important, but thanks to Eataly’s “Negroni Bundle” you’ll receive everything you need in one online order. All you have to add to your basket is an orange and ice (or a bottle of prosecco for anyone who prefers swapping the gin and having a negroni sbagliato (a negroni “gone wrong”), which is less punchy and alcoholic than the original but just as delicious.
eataly.slerp.com
Winter in Tuscany by Amber Guinness (Thames & Hudson, £29.99) is available online from bookshop.org.
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