Celebrate this Christmas with Table@Vallebona (www.vallebona.co.uk) and its tempting range of fine food hampers, Panettone and food experiences. Including unique ingredients carefully soured from Italy and Japan, they make for delicious gifts or self-treats for the festive season.
Table@Vallebona was started by Stefano Vallebona over 20 years ago in Borough Market, London, by importing regional artisan foods from Sardinia, Italy. Fast forward to 2019 and the company, based in Wimbledon, sells a wide range of artisan Italian and now Japanese fine food products online and at its shop. It also supplies some of London’s finest restaurants, including the River Café, Roux@TheLandau and Le Gavroche.
For a company synonymous with retailing the best Italian foods, adding a range of Japanese foods might seem a little strange. Well, when you consider that Stefano’s wife Naoko is Japanese and is as passionate about food from her home country as much as food from her husband’s, then this mixture of east meets west isn’t that crazy!
When buying from Table@Vallebona not only are you buying superb products you are also buying an item that has been carefully hand finished by a dedicated member of the team. The company uses eco-friendly packaging, including cardboard boxes, tissue paper and handmade/hand-dyed woollen pom poms, to present its fine products.
All the items are available from the Table@Vallebona shop in Wimbledon and online at www.vallebona.co.uk.
Food experiences:
- Vallebona Gift Vouchers (from £50) – A great gift. These gift vouchers can be used to shop online, to book an incredible food experience, or shop at the Wimbledon warehouse. They are handwritten for a personal touch and are valid for 1 year from purchase.
- Taste of Vallebona Monthly Box (3 months £150.00/ 6 months £280.00/ 12 months £495.00) – For the gift that keeps just keeps giving. Enjoy monthly boxes of unique Italian and Japanese ingredients delivered to your door. Stefano Vallebona hand-picks the items each month to suit the season. An example box would include: Testun al Barolo – a cows’ milk cheese with Barolo grape pressings from Piedmont; Prosciutto San Daniele from a family producer in Friuli; Artichoke and Walnut Bruschetta topping from Puglia; and soft apricot cantucci baked in the heart of Firenze.
- Voucher Cooking Demo Lunch (£150.00) – Gift your foodie friends and family with the ultimate Vallebona experience. Join Stefano Vallebona for a cooking demonstration lunch where he will offer an Italian and Japanese culinary tasting experience using the same ingredients supplied to Michelin star chefs and restaurants, as well as classic recipes. Visit the wonderful Wimbledon warehouse space and start the experience with an aperitif and a tour, including the contemporary walk-in cheese room. It is then followed by an informative demonstration and food tasting session, finishing with a light bite and talk around the Vallebona “table”.
Hampers:
- Tokushima Ramen Hamper (£18.00) – This pack includes the best packet ramen you’ll ever taste. From Tokushima in Japan, this noodle soup is easy to prepare and tastes incredibly authentic. It also contains Kityutsuyu Soy with Dashi, traditionally made in cedar barrels for a deep, savoury flavour. It is made in Shodoshima Island by Yasuo Yamamoto, his artistry was recently featured on Netflix’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
- Classic Troffie Alla Genovese Hamper (£25.00) – Cook like a real Italian ‘Nonna’ with this pack that contains a recipe for Pasta Alla Genovese. It contains: a jar of Pesto Genovese – traditionally made in Liguria by two brothers, its vibrant colour and intense flavour make it perfect with pasta; a pack of Troffie Liguri – a short twisted artisan pasta made in a small village 6 miles from Bari in Puglia in small batches; and a bottle of Fico Grande Sangiovese- a soft and supple red wine from Emilia Romagna. It carries lovely red fruit characteristics and hints of spice and black pepper, followed by long, smooth tannins.
- Spaghetti Neri Hamper (£33.00) – Follow our recipe card to re-create this Sardinian staple. The pack includes: a jar of Creamy Sea Urchin Sauce; a pack of Spaghetti Neri – pasta made with the black squid ink, perfect to accompany seafood dishes; a bottle of Vermentino – a white wine from Sardinia with a rich bouquet and hints of bitter almond, mineral and zest.
- Linguine Alla Bottarga Hamper (£37.00) – London fell in love with Bottarga 20 years ago when Stefano brought it back from Sardinia. In honour of this, he created this gift hamper that included what he thinks is the best recipe using this special ingredient. Follow the recipe card to create a seriously unique dish. It contains: a jar of Tuna Bottarga – it has a rich and defined taste of roe and is considered to be the Mediterranean’s version of caviar; a pack of Linguine – made in the little town of Gragnano, Genoa, in small batches; and a bottle of Giunco Vermentino di Sardegna – a white wine with subtle notes of lime blossom, yellow peach and apricot, and zesty grapefruit.
- Aperitivo Essentials Hamper (£58.00) – Snack like a true Italian with this hand-picked selection of Bruschetta and Taralli. It contains; a jar of Artichokes and Walnuts Bruschetta; a jar of Sundried Tomato and Caper Bruschetta; a pack of Tararollo Classico; and a bottle of Aperitivo del Professore – naturally orangey, red in colour, it gives off intense flavours of fresh citrus, sage and elderflowers, enriched by gentian and other delicate bittering herbs.
- Olio, Aceto & Sale Hamper (£59.00) – Classic Italian store cupboard staples.
Make the perfect salad dressing with this classic trio. It contains: Gold Label Ligurian EVO oil – with a lovely pepperiness; a bottle of Aceto Balsamico Bianco di Modena – that has a sharp fruitiness; and a pack of unique Japanese salt from Ishikawa.
Formaggio Accompaniment Hamper (£67.00) – An excellent cheese deserves excellent accompaniments. This pack includes: a jar of Truffle honey from Marche – acacia honey infused truffle slices, it is delicate and has an incredible natural aroma; Mosto d’Uva from Sardinia – is a reduction of Carignano, young red wine, boiled for hours to evaporate, it is a very interesting accompaniment to blue cheeses; and roasted hazelnuts from Alba. It also includes a bottle of Vermouth Rosso – the palate is full and soft with initial balsamic and mint flavours, these flow into a pleasantly bitter aftertaste balanced by sweeter rhubarb and gentiana notes.
Japanese Formaggio Accompaniment Hamper (£91.00) – Impress your dinner guests by bringing out these unique Japanese accompaniments to enjoy with a festive cheeseboard. It contains: a jar of tangy Yuzu Marmalade – Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit with a flavour that is somewhere between lemon and mandarin with a less acidic, more delicate flavour, and is more like an extremely fragrant lemon curd; a jar of sweet and salty Moromi Miso –it is pulled from the risen layer of soy sauce in the cedar barrel where it is matured; and a jar of umami Seaweed Chutney – it has a deep, intense, complex flavour, imagine a tangier, salty, umami caramelized red onion relish and you’re getting close to its taste profile. Also included is Fondo Antico Baccadoro – a delicious, sweet combination of almonds, cookies, dried figs and candied oranges. Intense, but with great freshness.
Panettone:
- Panettone – Traditional Box (£16.00/500g); Chocolate box (£17.00/500g); Traditional decorated with Wool Pom Pom (£18.00/500g); and Chocolate Wool Pom Pom (£19.00/500g) – Vallebona Panettone is made by a family company based in Turin. They have passed on their secret recipe for generations. All we know is that they use the richest Belgian butter, the finest Italian flour and natural yeast. The panettone’s are incredibly moist. We present our panettone in a sleek red Vallebona branded box, or hand wrapped with a homemade wool pom pom.