Do you have a foodie in the family, and fancy doing something a little different with your leisure time? Pasta-making at Casereccio, Acton could be the perfect bonding activity to try.
A full two-hour class, participants start with nothing but flour and water and create a delicious plate of pasta entirely from scratch, including rolling, shaping and cooking.
Teacher Silvana from Napoli instructs in a clear and fun way, interspersing the lesson with stories of her grandmother, from whom she learnt the art of pasta making.
She explains everything from the gluten structure to how to cook the perfect pot of pasta in an interesting and vibrant way, and even gives tips on how best to knead pasta dough, "imagine somebody you're really angry at!"
Once the pasta is finished, it's handed over to one of their chefs to cook and pair it with a tasty sauce for the whole table to try.
The black olive pasta that I made paired with the delicious tomatoey sauce and Parmesan was to die for, and so much more rewarding after all the kneading and shaping that made it happen.
Silvana said: "The pasta I teach are traditional shapes that cannot usually be found in shops, and some of them are really unusual. With the shape, I teach how to mix flours and flavours to make a very special sensory experience, and teach the best sauces to use to season the pasta.
"I explain how to properly cook pasta and, at the end of the lesson, customers get to eat the fruits of their labour. My classes are very hands-on and, according to several customers, therapeutic."
The whole experience is wonderfully involving and sensory; getting stuck in to an activity that doesn't involve a screen and forces you to use your hands to create something is a perfect half-term treat for young children if you want to steer clear of TV and the internet.
All customers leave the classes with a rewarding sense that they had made something entirely from scratch, full bellies, and a big leftover tub of pasta for their friends to try.
Classes range from month to month, with different flavours and types of pasta. January's offering is "black olive flavoured cappellacci dei briganti, served with fresh tomato sauce", while February's upcoming class is "barley flour cencioni, served with vodka and salmon sauce".
Full details of the upcoming year of classes can be found on the website.
So why don't you pick your favourite flavour and book now for a fun activity you can enjoy with family or friends?
Essential Info
Address and contact details:Tutti a Tavola at Casereccio Restaurant, The Broadway, Gunnersbury Lane, Acton, W3 8HR - 020 8993 3966
Class timetable: Saturday afternoon from 4.30pm to 6.30pm (normal pasta), and every Sunday morning from 10.30am to 12.30pm (gluten-free)
Price: £55 normally, £35 if you purchase a class in January with a Christmas discount
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