Christmas at Carluccio’s

By Helen Forrest…

So somehow we find ourselves in October, with Christmas two months away we are hurtling towards 2012. Time truly does wait for no-one, and if like me, you always leave your Christmas planning to the last minute you will pleased to know that Carluccio’s – that byword for authentic and affordable Italian food – has the answer to a foodie’s festive prayers. The original Neal Street eatery has now spawned over 60 restaurants worldwide as well as an online shop, where you can bring a little bit of that “Festa di Natale” (The Christmas Party) spirit into your home.

Carluccio’s dedicated team have done the hard work for you; travelling across Italy, meeting their favourite artisan producers and friends all of whom are dedicated to offering the highest quality products, to bring together the finest Italian food, drink and gifts for the festive season.

They understand that those few days in December, and the weeks leading up to them, are about sitting down around the table with your family and friends. It doesn’t matter whether you aren’t talking to your second sister for reasons you can’t remember or that your Grandad has taken his hearing aids out so he can’t hear your Grandma nagging him about his sherry intake… For that time you try and rub along together and forget your differences, and come together. You just want relax and forget about work for a while. That overflowing in-tray will still be there in January after all…

Now I’ve got you in the mood, I want to share with you my picks from their fantastic range, which mean it’s easy to find something for everyone this year. Pictured below are Cigara (£4.95 for 100g) one of the many lovely stocking fillers which means it won’t cost the earth to fill the kid’s, or the big kid’s, stockings!

The days of showing up at your brother’s with a past-their-sell-by-date chocolate mint selection box are long gone. Replace those tired After Eights with
Carluccio’s gorgeous and refreshing, Clemente in Camicia, (pictured below), which translates as chocolate coated clementine pieces. The clementines are produced in Calabria by Francesco Rao, and combine the very best dark chocolate with juicy segments of Francesco’s fruit. At £16.95 for 300g they are at the higher end of the range but will provide the whole family with a lovely palate cleanser after the heavy roast that characterises most people’s Christmas Day. There should even be enough for Boxing Day too!

For those of you that prefer a lighter alternative to the often stodgy fruitcake for your table’s centrepiece, you couldn’t do much better than one of their Panettone Tradizionale. This mouth-watering creation takes 24 hours to make, and the result is very special; made with dried fruit, candied peel and topped with hazelnut icing, the cake, at 1kg is large enough to go around, and have plenty left over for those unexpected visitors. If you are more of a chocoholic than fruit-lover, you will want to try the Panettone al Cioccolato, which is full of milk and dark chocolate pieces and topped with a hazelnut icing. Both are available in 1kg (£16.95) or cute 60g (£3.95) versions, which would make great gifts.

Moving on to that all important gift for your parent/s, or whomever takes that role in your life. There are various box sets that might take your fancy from the Celebrazione set to the Complete Mushroom book which comes with tools to find those perfect fungi.

For those who would like to splash out a little more there are the box sets which offer a complete Christmas in a box from £60-£95 for your loved ones. If you can’t be with them then it’s a great way to say ‘I love and miss you’ – included in the sets are items such as the fantastic ‘Two Greedy Italians’ book from the TV show of the same name, full of brilliant recipes that are easy to follow and require simple ingredients. So however you spend your Christmas, make sure you pop down to your local Carluccio’s or go online at http://www.carluccios.com