The moment you step in this family run Italian deli (or should I say salumeria?) your nose will tell you you're in Italy. It was founded in 1901 in Clerkenwell - once known as London's "Little Italy" because of the large number of Italians living in the area. The owner is the fourth generation of the family to run this business (is this a record for London?) and proudly showed me some bags he'd just had made:
Even he was surprised how quickly they were selling, I think they'll have all gone by now!
As you would expect, in a good Italian deli, there's pasta:
like Nodini d'Amore or Little Knots of Love (little pasta parcels packed with flavour of black truffle) or Pumpkin Tortelli (with cheese and a hint of amaretto).
There's capers, pesto, tapenade and crema di peperoncino (a hot pepper sauce made with crushed red Sicilian chillies and olive oil):
and marinated artichokes, sun kissed tomatoes and olives. They also sell butter and cheese from the Italian Alps.
The shop is famous for its sausage:
There's Genovese (with garlic and basil), Napoli (hot with black pepper) and Tuscan (with fennel).
There's also a good selection of Italian hams and salami:
They sell ciabatta, focaccia and pugliese breads
and pasta and pizza flours.
They've got a wide range of Italian alcoholic drinks:
and olive oils and Italian sauces.
It's amazing what they manage to pack in to this shop. They even sell seeds, so you can grow you own salads and vegetables:
The Gazzano's
167-169 Farringdon Road
London
EC1R 3AL
Tel: 020 7837 1586
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