• Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Start Here
  • Our Story
  • Meet Uju
  • Connect
  • Press and Media
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Babes About Town

Love. Play. Eat. London.

  • London
  • Kids
  • Life
  • Books
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Weekends
  • Search
  • Start Here
  • Our Story
  • Meet Uju
  • Connect
  • Press and Media
  • London
  • Kids
  • Life
  • Book
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Weekends

Mobile Menu

Buy Now

Ciao Gusto at Ocado: Shop, Cook & Eat Italian!

November 15, 2016 //  by Uju//  2 Comments

 
Ciao Gusto hamper gift
 
After our recent trip to Villa Pia in Umbria, I am completely besotted with the Italian countryside, culture and food (oh the food). I’ll tell you more about our Italy adventures in an upcoming post, but first let me introduce you to Ciao Gusto.

 
Ciao Gust logo
 
Ciao Gusto is an umbrella group — a family, really — of 30 popular Italian food and drinks companies, all available in the UK via the Ciao Gusto Italian Shop on Ocado. Each member of the Ciao Gusto family has been handpicked for its quality and its heritage, as all of the brands are household names representing Italian food across the globe.

 
Ciao Gusto brands
 
If you fancy a taste of Italy, or if (like me) you fantasise about eating your way across one of the world’s foodie capitals, then Ciao Gusto on Ocado is a good place to start. You’ll find everything from Negroni charcuterie and antipasti, to Cirio Passata Rustica for making a deliciously rich ragu.

Ciao Gusto held a dinner** at Giovanni Rana restaurant to celebrate its launch, and I was lucky enough to be invited, along with fellow bloggers Liz from Me and My Shadow, Mari from Mari’s World, Ruth from Rock n Roller Baby and Becky from Amuse your Bouche. Giovanni Rana is known as the ‘King of Tortellini’ and his restaurant is the home of ‘fresh pasta made daily with love’. He also owns the Giovanni Rana brand of food products, part of Ciao Gusto’s family.

At the sparkling dinner party, we were treated to a traditional Italian feast, including wine and prosecco, tasty appetisers (fried mozzarella, polenta fritters… OMG), cured meat and cheese platters, pasta and risotto courses, and 3 desserts! Our meal included:

A selection of Italian cured meats and cheeses…
 
Ciao Gusto Dinner Giovanni Rana antipasti
 
Cannelloni with Asparagus, Mozzarella, Tomato and Bechamel sauce…
 
Ciao Gusto Dinner at Giovanni Rana cannelloni
 
Dairy free gelato with homemade biscuits…
 
Ciao Gusto Dinner at Giovanni Rana gelato
 
Everything was so yummy, I couldn’t stop eating even though I felt increasingly stuffed with each course. They practically had to roll me out of there. Mari, who has an Italian connection and spends much of her time visiting family there, was on hand to vouch for the authenticity of the dishes. She was thrilled to discover that the products she likes to use in her Italian recipes are now so easy to find in the UK.

I was highly impressed by the Giovanni Rana staff who handled a large crowd and multiple servings with impeccable timing and grace. I’d like to come back here with the entire Babes crew, especially for chef Rana’s famous tortellini.

The boys are also obsessed with Italian food after our travels and you can picture their faces when Ciao Gusto gifted us with a hamper** of sample products.

 
Ciao Gusto Dinner hamper
 
 
Ciao Gusto hamper products
 
What an incredible range of goodies — we have been happily working our way through it.

The hamper contained a packet of Giovanni Rana Ravioli with Spinach and Ricotta, which they served at the dinner with a surprising but sensational twist of Amalfi lemon, garnished with crumbly ricotta.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe if you fancy making it at home. It takes less than 10 minutes to whip up and is perfect for a mid-week supper that’s a little bit more impressive than the old mac ‘n’ cheese!

 

Ravioli with Amalfi Lemon & Ricotta

 
Ciao Gusto Dinner at Giovanni Rana ravioli
 
Giovanni Rana Italian Indulgence Crumbly Ricotta, Shredded Spinach & Mascarpone Ravioli
50g Parmareggio butter
25g ricotta
Mint leaves
Lemon zest
Chives
Vegetable broth
Salt

Prepare a mixture of ricotta, chives, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste. Cook the ravioli in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain the ravioli and move to a skillet. Finish cooking them together with the butter, some vegetable broth, a few mint leaves and a pinch of salt.

Serve the ravioli with the ricotta and lemon zest mixture on top.

Visit ciaogusto.com for more recipe ideas and ingredients

**We were guests of Ciao Gusto at Giovanni Rana and received the hamper as a gift. All opinions are my own.

Share
Pin
Tweet
Share

Category: FoodTag: eating, family, Italy, restaurants

About Uju

Uju Asika is a writer, blogger and creative consultant. She is the author of Raising Boys Who Do Better: A Hopeful Guide for a New Generation (DK/Penguin Random House), Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World (Yellow Kite/Hachette UK) and the delightful picture book A World for Me and You, illustrated by Jennie Poh (Hachette Children's Group). Uju's books are available at Bookshop.org, Amazon, Waterstones and other good bookshops. Follow Uju @babesabouttown on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram.

Previous Post: «Babyccino Kids The Shop Up 2016 Babyccino Kids: The Shop Up 2016
Next Post: Christmas in London 2016: 30 COOLEST Things to do with Kids »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Honestmum

    November 17, 2016 at 12:19 pm

    Salivating here! Wow, wow, wow xx

  2. Uju

    November 22, 2016 at 6:10 pm

    Yum yum :-)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

I’m Uju, author, blogger, screenwriter. I curate cool finds and experiences for city families. Read more…

Get the Book

Buy Now
Buy Now
A World for Me and You cover
Buy Now

VuelioTop10Badge2021 VuelioTop10Badge2022 VuelioTop10Badge2023

Footer

  • FAQS
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Competitions

Copyright © 2025 · Blog Design by Shauna Callaghan