Tuscany Corner - authentic Italian produce - review

When I heard about premium Italian food brand Tuscany Corner launching in the UK just a couple of weeks ago, I was very keen to give them a try. They're described as a brand new range of the finest quality, authentic, Italian, organic products, and their Italian heritage is faultless.

The company explains : "Created at Tuscan country estate, 'La Tenuta', the products in the Tuscany Corner range are typical of the famed Mediterranean Diet, including olive oil, cheese and pasta, all organic and available exclusively from London's Terracafe and online at http://www.tuscanycorner.eu/. Tuscany Corner offers the very best quality products that form the cornerstone of authentic Italian cooking, and is the perfect range for the UK's food lovers who care about the source and quality of the food they buy." They kindly sent us three products to try out - some spaghetti, a jar of pasta sauce and a bottle of wine - everything we needed for a delicious Italian meal !

I initially planned on making up a romantic dinner for two but the kids said they fancied spaghetti bolognese too so I thought I'd be nice and let them sample the delights of Tuscany Corner too (just not the wine !). As the 190g jar wouldn't have been big enough for a family of five, I decided to add some extra meat (minced beef) and vegetables (mushrooms, onions, cherry tomatoes and red, green and yellow peppers).

As I wanted to give the sauce a proper tasting on its own for the purposes of the review, I did take some out of the jar to eat on its own (quickly warmed up in the microwave !) and it does have a  rounded, well-balanced flavour, although I personally would have liked a bit of extra garlic and seasoning in there. However, it does also work equally well as an enhancement to a sauce made from scratch, giving it an authentic homemade flavour that you would never guess came out of a jar.

When you first open the jar, the top of the sauce looks slightly speckled with grease, as a homemade sauce would once it's gone cold. It's not as vibrant red as many shop-bought sauces and, while this was seen by the kids as less appealing than mass-produced sauce, as a grown-up, I could appreciate the artisanal quality and home-cooked look. The sauce is totally natural, containing nothing but good honest ingredients with no artificial colours or additives.

With the plain white paper label stuck on the jar and the slightly leaky lid, this looks just like something you'd find in a local Italian farmer's market or that a real Italian Mamma would give you as a homemade parting gift after a stay in their guesthouse. The label is almost entirely in Italian - the sauce is called "ragu di carne bovina di razza maremmana" and while I can figure out that the first part means "sauce of bovine meat", I'm not entirely sure what the last part says (I'm guessing at "of the maremmana race" but I could be wrong). The ingredients list is given in Italian and English but the translator didn't have much work as the whole thing only contains a handful of ingredients ! : cow meat of the maremmana breed (ahh so I was right !), tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, extra virgin olive oil, red wine, salt, pepper. That's it ! Not an e-number in sight and nothing that you wouldn't find in your own kitchen.

The fact that the use by date is written on the jar by hand just reinforces the sense of buying a real homemade jar from a local producer and couldn't be further from traditional shop-bought food if you tried.

The pasta packaging seems slightly less homemade but the fact that it is totally written in Italian on the front of the pack still makes you feel like you've been shopping in Italy. The colour and rough texture reminded me of Garofalo pasta, which is the only other truly authentic Italian pasta that I have tried. Compared to typical supermarket spaghetti, it produces more starch and uses up more water so take this into account when choosing the pan and the quantity of water to add to the pot. The pasta stays slightly al dente, even when cooked for quite a long time and although it doesn't stick when cooking, make sure you chill the leftover pasta in cold water straight after serving to prevent the starch from sticking it into a big lump as it cools. It would be a shame as the leftover pasta is still in perfect condition the next day, unlike supermarket brand pasta which often dries out when reheated.

Pasta is often quite bland and tasteless, acting simply as a vehicle for the delicious sauce you serve it with, but I tasted some of the Tuscany Corner spaghetti - more precisely La Pasta dei Coltivatori Spaghetti n.6 ! - and was pleasantly surprised by how much taste it has by itself - a lovely wheaty sort of taste that reminded me of fresh bread straight out of the bread machine. The kids ate the leftover pasta the next day with just butter and parmesan and declared it delicious. (I had a taste too and totally agree !)

The half-bottle of La Tenuta's certified organic Tuscan wine went down very nicely too. Even Madhouse Daddy Mike who is French said it was nice which is high praise indeed !

Mr. Alioscia Lombradini from Tuscany Corner sums up the whole concept when he comments: "We are extremely excited to be launching our product range in the UK market. It's the whole Tuscan experience; where the integrity and simplicity of the product speaks for itself. Our product portfolio offers the consumer the best, but basic, cornerstones of Italian cuisine as it follows the principles of the Mediterranean diet which is widely acknowledged to be the healthiest of all. It is simply about regionally sourced fresh, seasonal produce which includes the best quality fruits, vegetables and other produce ripened in the Italian sun. Rather than cover dishes in heavy sauces which hide the basic ingredients' flavour and aroma, we want to share the fundamental secrets of traditional Tuscan cuisine where the best, fresh produce is key." Mission accomplished !

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : not sure, couldn't find any prices on the website !

for more information : http://www.tuscanycorner.eu/

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Crosta & Mollica quality regional Italian breads

Lawrence Dallaglio - My Italian Family Cookbook (Recipes From Three Generations) review

Garofalo Pasta