My work colleague Jane has a special birthday soon and is going to Sorrento to celebrate next week. We had a discussion about how delicious Italian food is. Jane loves all aspects of Italian food and me too. To me it really seems the one cuisine that everyone seems to love in some shape or form.
I have never been to Italy. I always say that we must go at some point – and we will. But for now I guess it will have to be a dream about all that top-quality Italian produce…
Who doesn’t love pasta or pizza? And there’s Nutella, limoncello, risotto, espresso. Oh my, I could go on, and on, and on. So much good food and drink. Being part Italian, I was brought up on Italian food and to me it’s a staple. But how often is 'Italian' food actually from Italy? Remember Gino Ginelli ice cream in the 80's - made somewhere near the Gloucester bypass! Keep on dreaming... Well, actually, I don’t need to dream anymore! Nope, I’m not jetting off, but a company called Ufuud contacted me recently to ask if I would like to try some of their produce.
Let me explain. Ufuud are an on-line shop, who sell top-quality Italian produce. The founders of Ufuud were becoming exasperated at the amount of Italian food out there that purported to be Italian, but could have been made anywhere. Their mission was to open the people's eyes to real, fresh, Italian produce delivered direct from their base in Milan to anywhere in Europe.
I popped to their website which is an on-line smorgasbord of Italian delicacies. You can browse through their cold cuts, cheeses, pastas, rice, flours, pantry items, sauces and condiments. Not to mention the drinks too. Delicious craft beers, juices and syrups too.
They even have seasonal items ( I ordered an Easter bread, which was on the website for a limited time).
Ufuud’s site is so easy to navigate and setting up my account could not have been simpler. In very little time I had placed my order (above), and I received confirmation that it was being processed. I placed the order on the Monday and it arrived on Friday – very fast service considering it had to get from Italy to Scotland. (Orders over £70 have free delivery by the way).
I opened my box and found it to be crammed with all the goodies I had ordered. I opted for a selection of pastas, chocolates, cookies, condiments, beer – a real mix to sample the food on offer. Everything was well packed in bubble-wrap for protection (removed in the photo above). Plus the box was lined with polystyrene for extra protection.
The Cold Chain
Incidentally, had I ordered meats or cheese for example, Ufuud guarantee that your food will reach you fresh. They call it the ‘Cold Chain’. Here’s what they say on their website;
‘UFUUD is obsessed with quality! For us quality is not just important after products come out of the laboratories of our Approved Partners, it is vital along the entire chain through to the final customer: you! As one of the very few e-commerce companies offering fresh products this principle is even more fundamental.That is why we can guarantee the cold chain is maintained (keeping the temperature between 4°C-8°C) for all those products that need it (cured meat, cheeses, fish, fresh sauces, mushrooms and truffles).Our products are transported inside crates made of EPS (a kind of polystyrene foam) and contain refrigerating gel that is non-toxic for food, which allows the temperature to be kept within the standard range for at least 72 hours.’
I haven’t had a chance to everything yet – but I can tell you what I have tried is exceptionally good. The pasta is just so clean tasting and the chocolate is decadent. And those cookies flavoured with caramel and cinnamon – oh my!
That chocolate chip Easter bread was so light and airy. I took some into work with me and my colleagues practically ripped it apart!! All that's left is the box...
Being a home-baker, I decided to make brownies using their white and hazelnut chocolates. They melted beautifully and when swirled gave the brownies a lovely look. The finished result was sheer indulgence.
Thanks to the Ufuud crew for their fast and efficient service. I certainly enjoyed being transported, figuratively speaking, to Italy and look forward to trying the rest of my Italian goodies.
Disclosure Statement: I received all of the Italian produce from Ufuud free to review. I was not expected to write a positive review and any opinions expressed are my own.