This last week has been like living in the Mediterranean hasn’t it? It has been so, so hot that I think everyone has wished they were on holiday instead of trying to get on with their day to day lives in the extreme heat. For me though, that holiday feel comes not only from the weather, but also from the food. Years ago I went to a conference in Sorrento in Italy and had one of the best food experiences of my life. Simple Italian food that was so delicious and plentiful that I still talk about that meal years later. I love Italian food and therefore it was a complete pleasure that I was asked to discover the new Ciao Gusto range at Ocado.
Ciao Gusto is a bringing together of around 30 different Italian food and drink brands, with the aim of them working together to spread the love of Italian food and culture around the world. All the brands, regardless of their size, are brand leaders in Italy, and they have a passion and devotion for quality whilst sharing a common heritage.
Thanks to the wonderful people at Ocado this quality and Italian heritage is now being brought to your kitchen and summer dining via the Ciao Gusto Italian Shop. There you can find so many mouth watering ingredients that are perfect for your own Italian dining experience this summer.
One of the things I love about Italian food so much is its simplicity. You don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen slaving away to come up with a perfect meal that can be shared by family or friends. And with the heat we’ve had that’s the last thing I think any of us would have wanted to do recently. I ordered Negroni antipasti meats and Auricchio cheese as the basis of a summer lunch and teamed them with some Ponti antipasti vegetables in jars. It was a meal that required so little preparation, but was utterly delicious when teamed with an ice cold glass of Italian Pinot Grigio.
When ordering I also discovered the Auricchio Ready to Bake Provolone which was possibly the most delicious bit of lunch. With a slightly nutty flavour, I served this with some freshly baked ciabatta and it was gorgeous. Beautifully gooey and great to share.
On the side I also served up some Amica Chips which were again perfect with an ice cold drink on such a hot day. I can see these as also being perfect to be served with a glass of Prosecco at the end of a hot day as you sit and watch the sun go down and talk about your day.
What I loved about the Ciao Gusto range of brands is that every single product that I tried was so packed full of authentic flavour. This was nothing like the imitation Italian ranges that some supermarkets have. Ciao Gusto gives you proper Italian food – exactly as you would get in Italy.
For anyone who has not experienced shopping with Ocado before, it’s worth saying that in my opinion they are by far the leader in the online supermarket shopping market. I’ve been using them for about 8 years now and I can count the problems I’ve had on the fingers of one hand. Their website is a joy to order from, the quality of the produce I select is always excellent, and they are brilliant at making sure you have long dates on products too. The delivery drivers are always polite and helpful and they carry everything into my kitchen for me. I am regularly recommending them to people – simply because I’m such a big fan!
You can read more about Ciao Gusto and the brands that make it up over on their website, where you will also find fantastic recipe inspiration to help you make the most of all these wonderful Italian ingredients.
Disclaimer: I was sent an Ocado voucher to enable me to try out the Ciao Gusto range for the purposes of this post. I am already a regular Ocado customer. All opinions remain my own.
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