For lovers of good food a stop in Emilia Romagna is obligatory, a region rich in culinary products, such as to deserve it name the “Food Valley”.

Mother nature has been particularly generous with us; cheese, meat, processed meats, vegetables, fruit and many other products such as our celebrated balsamic vinegar and gnocco fritto, which enrich our cuisine and the recipes, making them the symbol of Emilia at the table.

Each day, our pasta-makers can be found in our kitchen, making sheets of pasta so thin they are barely perceptible and making savoury fillings for them while the broth bubbles away on the stove. In the meantime our cooks are preparing the boiled and roast meats which require long and meticulous cooking, rigorously accompanied by home made sauces and pickles.

And to finish, a sweet caress that you can choose from our delicious treats displayed on our dessert trolley, such as cacao mousse, zuppa inglese, crème caramel, anise semi-freddo, rice cake, toffee panna cotta e syrup pear in orange with zabaione.

I’d like to describe a dish that was special for Grandma Silvana, la Panata, “Paneda” in Modenese dialect.

A simple and austere dish, while at the same time being nutritious and full of flavour, its ingredients are broth, parmesan cheese, bread, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

When the trolley bearing boiled and roasted meats is brought in it is such a spectacle to the eyes and to the palate that often our guests stand up to observe the succulent meat hand cut as it is served. A sight to make the mouth water, a true work of art, often photographed.

The boiled meat selection is made up of different cuts of meat: smoked ham, chicken, tongue, beef cheek, veal tail and calf head, cotechino and zampone.

Not all the meats can be cooked together; so different pots need to be used, adding sea salt, carrots, onions and parsley. The secret is to let it simmer for at least three hours.

The roasts are composed of veal rump steak, pork loin cooked in milk and pork loin in wine.

The meats are served directly from the trolley, with hot steam still coming off them, accompanied by green sauce, yellow sauce, and apple mustard, in delightfully decorated bowls, to make our guests feel at home.