Copy LinkViva l’Italia… A celebration of Italian Food and Wine at Ardkeen Quality Food Store
So many things spring to mind when you think of Italy. A rich and vibrant culture, extraordinary scenery and coastline, a language that seems to sing rather that talk, the list goes on. And on! But chief among them must be Italy’s cuisine. It is known and loved worldwide and this is in no small part due to its long-held philosophy of sourcing quality ingredients and using seasonality to its best possible effect. Recipes are treasured and handed down through generation, cooked and enjoyed with ease and love.
Hand in hand with this food heritage goes Italy’s wine. With more than one million vineyards under cultivation and over 350 grape varieties, Italy is the largest wine producer in the world. Standing as it does among the top countries for life expectancy, it is widely acknowledged that this is in no small part due to Italy’s food traditions.
With all this in mind, we are excited to celebrate all things Italian Food and Wine here at Ardkeen Quality Food Store for the next two weeks. Our buyers have carefully chosen a range of quintessential Italian products that we feel best reflect the richness and quality of Italian food and wine.
With oil from the Ligurian Taggiasca olives (considered to be the best in Italy), sauces and pesto’s from the organic Piedmont Prunotto range, traditional Rustichella d’Abruzzo pastas (spaghetti, linguine, penne etc.) made with durum wheat and bronze dIed to hold that sauce better, we have sourced some of the best Italian food available and all at the keenest prices to offer you an Italian experience with real value.
Wines from all over Italy will be tasted during our many impromptu instore tastings with firm favourites like Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, Salice Salentino Rosso, Pinot Grigio and the Masseria del Fauno range who have Sabino Russo (considered one of the rising stars of Italian winemaking) at the helm.
Our Thursday tasting this week will be exploring the Prunotto range and on Friday we welcome Allessandro from artisan Italian food importer Del Gusto who will be taking us through some of Italy’s finest olive oils. We also have tastings from some of our Irish producers who are making beautiful Italian sauces with D’Vine from Kilkenny on Friday 18th and Joan and Bob’s Italian sauce range tasting on Saturday 19th.
We will be opening delicious wines most days from 4pm with our resident Italian Barista Elia taking a tasting on Friday 11th. Of course, we cannot celebrate Italy without Prosecco (or Peroni for that matter!) so we will have bubbles and Rose ones at that on Saturday to set us up for the weekend so to speak.
We will be posting events as they happen here and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so keep an eye out and join in the fun. And all in time to celebrate Italy's National Day, the Festa della Repubblica (Republic Day) on 2 June!
Look forward to seeing you instore.
Viva l'Italia
Julie
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Prunotto Organic Basil Pesto 130g
Produced by Prunotto Organic Farm in Alba(Italy) in the Piemontese hills. Great for Pasta or Bruschette.
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Prunotto Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil 340g
Organic crushed tomatoes with basil. Sauce by Prunotto Organic Farm in the Piemontese Hills in Alba(Italy)
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Prunotto Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Garden Vegetables 340g
Organic crushed tomatoes with garden vegetables. A sauce for pasta made by Prunotto Organic Farm in the Piemontese Hills in Alba(Italy).
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Prunotto Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Spicy Arrabiata 340g
Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Spicy Arrabiata. A sauce for pasta made by Prunotto Organic Farm in the Piemontese Hills in Alba(Italy).
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Prunotto Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Sweet Peppers 340g
Organic crushed tomatoes with sweet peppers. A sauce for pasta made by Prunotto Organic Farm in the Piemontese Hills in Alba(Italy)
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Prunotto Organic Passata Pomodoro 690g
Organic Passata Made by Prunotto Organic Farm in the Piemontese Hills in Alba(Italy).
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Prunotto Organic Peeled Tomatoes 550g
Organic Peeled Tomtoes made by Prunotto Organic farm in the Piemontese hills in Alba(Italy).
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Prunotto Organic Pumpkin Pesto 130g
Organic Pumpkin Pesto great for Pasta or Bruschette. Made by Organic Prunotto farm in the Piemontese Hills of Northern Italy
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Prunotto Organic Semi Sun-Dried Tomatoes 180g
Semi sun-dried tomatoes made by Prunotto organic farm for Sheridans in the piemontese hills.
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D-Vine Arrabiata Sauce 370g
Home-made in South Kilkenny.
All natural ingredients, suitable for vegetarians, low in saturated fat and gluten free.
Cooking Suggestions: A family favourite recipe, this is a vesatile tomato sauce which is already gently cooked using premium tomatoes. It may be served wiht pasta of your choice. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. The sauce may be used in lasagne dishes, bolognese, as a pizza topping or added to casseroles to enhance the flavour.
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D-Vine Tomato Sauce 370g
Home-made in South Kilkenny.
All natural ingredients, suitable for vegetarians, low in saturated fat and gluten free.
Cooking Suggestions: A family favourite recipe, this is a vesatile tomato sauce which is already gently cooked using premium tomatoes. It may be served wiht pasta of your choice. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. The sauce may be used in lasagne dishes, bolognese, as a pizza topping or added to casseroles to enhance the flavour.
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Joan & Bob’s Rich Tomato Pasta Sauce 340g
Perfect over pasta, pizza or as an accompaniment to chicken dishes- Just heat up and enjoy!
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Joan & Bob’s Juicy Jams Amazing Meatball Sauce 270g
Joan & Bob's Juicy Jams amazing meatball sauce!
(Just add meatballs)
Less than 1.5% added sugar -
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De Cecco Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1lt
Superior category olive oil obtained directly from olives and solely by mechanical means.
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Highbank Orchards Organic Balsamic Cider Vinegar 250ml
Organic Balsamic Cider Vinegar with ‘Wild Mother’
- Raw
- Unpasteurised
- Unfiltered
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FLÛTE EN ROSE Casa Burti 750ml
Exhibits a smooth and lively fruit-balanced nose that erupts from the glass. The finish is juicy, and long, with exceptional balance.
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Messer del Fauno Grillo Italia 750ml
Delicate bouquet with notes or tropical fruits and Mediterranean flowers it is rich and full on the palate. Dry with refreshing acidity it has a nutty, citrus flavour with hints of stemmed apple. Well made wine with lovely crisp, dry finish.
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Messer del Fauno Negroamaro 750ml
Messer Del Fauno is an artisanal Italian farm in Puglia where the best local wines and olive oils are produced. This grape is grown almost exclusively in Puglia region and particularly in Salento, the peninsula which can be visualized as the “heel” of Italy. After an accurate selection, the grapes are vinified following the traditional method without the addition of any concentrated must. The primary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature. Very good to be drunk young, it develops into velvety softness with further ageing in bottle.
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Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie San Giorgio 750ml
This wine, fermented at low temperature in our cellars, pairs wll with starters, delicate dishes, fish, white meat and soufflés.
