Tucked away unobtrusively in a corner of West Kensington is a family business that is devoted to good Italian food and wine, and it was at this charming eatery that I took my first steps in the art of baking.
It is usually me visiting a restaurant, sampling the food and wine and then going away and writing up a review of said establishment – only on this occasion the tables were somewhat turned.
On a warm afternoon in September I made my way, with a little trepidation, to Mamma Anna & Co a family run ‘deli-come-dining’ experience to take part in one of the regular cookery classes held by Anna Lotito.
The Lotito clan are the people behind Mamma Anna & Co, which sits modestly on Charleville Road, just a few minutes from the hustle and bustle of North End Road and West Kensington Tube station, headed up by Anna along with her sons and daughter, Giulia.
My cooking partner for the day Vivienne and I were warmly welcomed by Anna, and immediately you could feel the warmth and passion behind this family affair and their love of Italian food.
We soon had our aprons on and were ready for action as Anna and Giulia explained we were going to be baking cookies, using pasta frolla (shortcrust pastry), which is traditionally used to prepare Italian tarts and cookies.
Now I class myself as a reasonably competent cook, but baking is way out of my comfort zone. However, after Anna explained that she uses only the best organic ingredients with the welfare of the produce very much at heart, we were soon flouring the worktop in the open-plan deli and moulding the dough ingredients of flour, butter, eggs, icing sugar and baking powder into shape and then gently rolling it out.
Vivienne seemed to have no problems and needed little guidance from Anna, but I was grateful that Giulia was on hand as my pastry stuck to the worktop and my hands while I was a bit heavy handed with the rolling pin.
After several minutes my confidence grew and soon we were making a combination of different shaped biscuits with fillings and toppings of jam, honey, walnuts and almonds with different flavoured dough, which included cocoa powder and a warming spice mix.
And, then after 20 minutes baking they appeared out of the oven and actually looked like half decent and tasted pretty good – I was actually rather proud of my efforts even if Vivienne’s finished product looked a bit more the part.
The class then finished with a wine tasting lesson from sommelier son Marco, who learnt his trade at a number of Michelin restaurants. He introduced us to a Moscato D’Asti from Northern Italy which was a revelation to the palette. The light refreshing low alcohol wine is made from the Moscato Bianco grape, is slightly sweet and sparkling and sat harmoniously with the cookies.
It was the perfect way to finish off the class, which lasts around 90 minutes and costs £42 per person, and you get to take all the goodies you have cooked home with you.
Apart from the cookery classes, Mamma Anna sells a range of handmade pasta and sauces, we both took some home for dinner and can vouch they are delicious, and there is also a host of other tempting offerings in the deli section where you can also watch the world go by with a coffee and cake. A small private dining room downstairs is available and ‘Social’ dining nights are held on Friday and Saturday and Anna will even cook bespoke dishes for your home dinner party.
Mamma Anna & Co , 3 Charleville Road, West Kensington , W14 9JL - 020 7998 7977
