A summer twist on Italian cuisine

After two years of restrictions, the nation is ready to embrace the outdoors and share food across social occasions again. Food is the language of love, and according to history, so is Italian. From pizzas cooked outdoors in brand new pizza ovens to fresh pastas whipped up with speciality sauces, the pandemic offered a chance for many Brits to remember what it is they love about Italian food.

No one does summer with quite so much sophistication and flair as the Italians, so it’s the perfect time for independents to stir up this passion for Italian cuisine once again. Just the thought of summertime in Italy conjures up images of pastel-coloured houses along azure seas, bustling markets with seasonal produce, aperol spritzes being enjoyed on sun-trap piazzas and windows full of rows of gelato.

Revitalising your Italian offering for summer can help bring vibrant sauces and fresh ingredients back to the fore. As soon as the sun emerges, your customers will be looking for refreshing, summer flavours, like nutty basil pesto and creamy mozzarella. Sourcing local seasonal veg grown in the UK such as courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes and rocket will also help customers add a local British twist to their favourite Italian dishes.

For those particularly hands-on customers, why not sell pasta kits complete with everything they need to craft their own alfresco pasta dinner from scratch, such as Italian 00 flour and semolina, a pasta maker and ravioli stamps. Moreover, providing all the ingredients needed to create authentic wood-fired pizzas in their gardens will have customers flocking to your store. For the more time-conscious, take a fresh look at your dried pastas and risottos as well as flavour-packed, stir-in sauces to ensure your shop offers something different to the multiples this summer.

The warmer months are a great time to fall in love with Italian cuisine, as simple, fresh and vibrant ingredients are at its core. Feel the warm embrace of pizza, pasta and risottos and get ready for a summer of love.