EAT LIKE AN ITALIAN

Pay a visit to La Locanda and you will think you are 1500 miles away in beautiful Italy

Alongside the stunningly beautiful views and landscapes the Ribble Valley has to offer, the fabulous food and drink must be another major reason why so many visit and settle in the area, and the numerous accolades and awards bestowed upon Gisburn’s renowned Italian restaurant, La Locanda, in recent years has certainly added weight to this popular assumption.

Proudly owned and managed by husband and wife, Maurizio and Cinzia Bocchi, and assisted by their almost all Italian team, they passionately deliver a true taste of Italy right here in rural Lancashire. Combining a love for using the finest produce and ingredients his native Italy is justifiably famous for, alongside some of the best that Lancashire has to offer, chef Maurizio creates menus that shout a genuine dedication to quality, provenance and authenticity!

“All around us we have fantastic local producers which we use here at La Locanda on a regular basis. In addition to this, we’ve also built excellent relationships with other smaller producers in Italy and are combining the two, giving guests the opportunity to learn what makes local Lancashire and Italian produce unique,” explains Cinzia.

Over the years, Maurizio has embarked on many trips to source new ingredients from Italy – to Modena, in northern Italy, where he discovered traditional family recipes, and to Terracina where he was guest chef at a gala dinner to celebrate Slow Food.

La Locanda has long been an ardent supporter of the worldwide Slow Food organisation and Maurizio is also a proud member of their Chefs’ Alliance programme. Campaigning for a better global food system and fighting to defend the world’s edible biodiversity, Slow Food has over a million supporters in over 150 countries and its values are firmly rooted in the ethos here at La Locanda.

Authenticity and a true representation of Italian food culture is paramount at La Locanda, and the award of the influential ‘Marchio Ospitalita Italiano’ certificate, annually since 2009, is surely a worthy testament to this. An initiative which aims to certificate only the best Italian restaurants around the world, in England, La Locanda is currently one of only 12 other Italian restaurants outside of London to have received this accolade.

In a further effort to provide their customers with a genuine ‘Eat Like an Italian’ experience some additional food and drink traditions have recently been added to their menus. Aperitivo Rinforzato is an extension to the traditional enjoyment of having an aperitif before a meal, something that originated in Turin over 200 years ago; a glass of wine or a cocktail accompanied by a selection of tasty nibbles and finger food, this is a really casual way of dining and an ideal way to unwind after a long day at work.

Contra to this casual dining experience is when Italians have a special occasion to celebrate and then it’s all about doing it in style. At such events, you can be sure that food will always take centre-stage and it’s not unusual for a meal to lead to 12 courses, sometimes, even more! Italians consider food as one of life’s great experiences and always associate it with big occasions, and four hours at the table is probably the least you should expect it to take.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that an Italian meal can often be somewhat overwhelming to many non-Italians and probably why their menus frequently cause confusion, where a typical structure for a 12-course dinner would usually include:
1. Aperitivo con Stuzzichini – aperitif with nibbles
2. Antipasto Caldo – warm starter
3. Antipasto Freddo – cold starter
4. Primo Piatto – pasta or risotto at lunch – minsetra or light pasta or light risotto or light gnocchi at dinner (it’s also not uncommon to have more than one primi piatti)
5. Secondo Piatto di Pesce con Contorni – fish course with minimum two side dishes
6. Secondo Piatto di Carne con Contorni – meat course with minimum two side dishes
7. Formaggi – cheeses, a selection of four minimum
8. Dolci – dessert
9. Frutta – selection of fresh fruits
10. Caffè – coffee
11. Ammazzacaffè (coffee killer) – a shot of liqueur
12. Cioccolatini – chocolates

However, Cinzia assures us, eight courses would usually be more than sufficient for a really good meal out with family and friends.

You can now enjoy the full ‘Eat Like an Italian’ experience at La Locanda – an eight-course dinner (£60 per person) or 12-course dinner (£90 per person) – just make sure you allow plenty of time and, perhaps, don’t eat for a day or two beforehand!

Naturally, after consuming such volumes of delicious Italian food, an after-dinner spirit or liqueur would be in order. Ammazzacaffè (coffee killer), as it’s known in Italy, aids digestion after your meal, as well as dulling the taste of your coffee and reducing the effects of its caffeine. Here, the choice of spirit is up to you but the popular Italian tradition of resentin involves rinsing out the coffee cup, usually with Grappa, and then drinking it down.

So, without even leaving the Ribble Valley, a visit to La Locanda will make you feel that you’re 1500 miles away.

La Locanda
Main Street, Gisburn BB7 4HH
01200 445303
www.lalocanda.co.uk
facebook/LaLocandaGisburn
twitter@LaLocandaCinzia

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