Latest news with #Italianfood
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NewPrinces ‘eyes October listing in London for Princes'
Italian food-and-drinks group NewPrinces is reportedly looking to float its UK unit Princes in London in October. NewPrinces CEO Angelo Mastrolia told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera the company was eyeing a listing in the middle of the month. 'The stock market is a great opportunity. For us, listing has been strategic at every stage of our growth,' Mastrolia was quoted as saying. The then Newlat Food snapped up UK food-and-drinks supplier Princes from Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. in May last year for £700m (then $893.6m). After the deal, the company renamed itself NewPrinces. If the Princes arm is floated, it will be the third element of the business to be listed after NewPrinces itself and Italian dairy arm Centrale del Latte d'Italia. Earlier this month, NewPrinces announced a deal to buy Kraft Heinz's Italian baby-food business. Under the terms of the transaction, NewPrinces is paying €120m ($140m) for assets including five brands: Plasmon, Nipiol and Dieterba infant food; plus gluten-free brand Biaglut and low-protein products sold under the Aproten brand. In May, the company acquired a Diageo drinks plant in Italy that had been earmarked for closure. Mastrolia told Corriere della Sera NewPrinces was weighing up further acquisitions. 'We are evaluating further deals because our strategy is to reach €5bn in revenue by 2030 through external growth, targeting a net profit of €100m,' Mastrolia was quoted as saying. In the first quarter of 2025, NewPrinces generated revenues of €672.2m, a dip from the €699.9m made in the corresponding period of 2024. EBIT stood at €28.9m, against €5.9m a year earlier. NewPrinces booked a first-quarter net profit of €13.5m, versus a loss of €2.2m the year previous. In March, the then Newlat Food booked accounts for 2024 that included results from Princes if the UK group had joined the fold at the start of the year. On that basis, the companies' combined consolidated revenues stood at €2.8bn. Mastrolia also confirmed the Italian group had bought the Royal Liver Building in Liverpool in which Princes had leased office space. "NewPrinces 'eyes October listing in London for Princes'" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
A slice of Italy in Dunedin's St Clair
Katrina Toovey has helped to bring about 40 or so Italians to Dunedin through her St Clair businesses The Esplanade, Piccolo Bar and Sorella Gelato. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton Katrina Toovey has helped to bring about 40 or so Italians to Dunedin through her St Clair businesses The Esplanade, Piccolo Bar and Sorella Gelato. A Dunedin seaside suburb is becoming a haven for Italian expats and foodies alike. It all started with a desire to bring authentic woodfired pizzas to the shores of St Clair more than a decade ago. When Katrina Toovey took over The Esplanade back in 2012, she wanted to embrace the history but thought it was time for a new identity. The Esplanade in the Dunedin suburb of St Clair. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton Less a Kiwi pizza restaurant and more an authentic slice of Italy. But she had no idea the business would help to create a thriving, Italian community. "Almost has been a happy accident and kind of an organic growth so when I did take over, I decided that I wanted to do woodfired pizza and I thought who better to do that than an Italian," she said. The woodfire pizza oven at The Esplanade. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton Since then, she has helped to bring about 40 or so Italians to Dunedin, saying there was also a stream of people who floated through on working holiday visas as well as a strong foundation of people in the community. This year, she opened two more businesses - Piccolo Bar and Sorella Gelato - both a short stroll away from The Esplanade and St Clair beach. "Sometimes I do look at it and I think 'how did this happen?' There's a whole community of people here including now children who've bubbled up through this business and through finding something that they like in the city and work they enjoy and a supportive environment," Toovey said. The Esplanade restaurant manager Luca Capece moved to Dunedin for an adventure with his best friend, but now lives here with his partner and two kids. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton Restaurant manager Luca Capece moved over when his best friend, who's a pizza chef, got a job at The Esplanade in 2013. It changed his life. He met his partner there and they now have two kids. "I'm feeling at home here and ... we have a small community, Italian, but what I really enjoy and I was shocked how the Kiwi community treat us. They see us like a family," he said. Capece said it had been a joy being able to speak Italian with other staff and get a taste of home - with a recent staff dinner featuring a traditional polenta dish from his hometown. "When you eat polenta, it brings up all the memories from when your mum was cooking it and you were enjoying it. I come from a big family, we are 10 of us so I remember this big table and then we have some cheese, we have some polenta. It's beautiful," he said. The Esplanade maître d' Vanessa Sanna says there's now about 30 people in their Italian community. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton When Esplanade maître d' Vanessa Sanna moved to Dunedin with her Kiwi husband, she knew no one. She started scouting for good Italian food and came across the restaurant. "That was amazing the day that I step in for the first time, where I heard Italians talking to each other so I said 'oh my gosh, this is my place' ... I really missed the little Italian community and being so far away from home," she said. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton She applied for a job there and has been working there for nearly 10 years . She loved how they shared food after closing, saying it helped to make Italy feel a little closer. There were now about 30 people in their Italian community and they met up to eat and catch up, Sanna said. "This Italian community is growing, many people come see us because they really enjoy this little Italian corner," she said. "It feels like we are in a little Italian coast and you can have your Italian drinks, your Italian food and your Italian gelato, like that's just the cherry on the cake." Gelato maker Marco Adinolfi says he tries to combine his knowledge and love for Italian gelato with some New Zealand flavours. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton Gelato maker Marco Adinolfi moved to Dunedin to bring his creations to Sorella Gelato. He wanted to leave Italy for a different lifestyle and was surprised to find an Italian community here. He hoped his wife and two daughters would join him in a few months time, and said there were plans for a feast to welcome them to the southern city. "Every Italian conversation with friends and family, it's about food. All the time my mum or my dad call me 'what did you eat?' It's the first thing so Italian connection with food is very important," he said. The Esplanade at St Clair in Dunedin. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton He has been trying to combine his knowledge and love for Italian gelato with some New Zealand flavours including a popular scoop inspired by pumpkin pie. "Every flavour I make it's very seasonal. I don't like to use flavouring, chemical flavouring so everything is made by me," he said. He loves clams and discovered he could find wild clams on local beaches. "I go almost every week with my shovel to dig clams," he said. He usually cooked spaghetti with clams for his lunch or dinner most weeks. Katrina Toovey was grateful for the Italians who had uprooted their lives to move to Dunedin and shared their cuisine and culture with the city. "The flavours, the smells, it's all like home and it's all familiar so ... it's like an anchor in a new community and they gravitate towards it," she said. "It makes perfect sense to me, it's kind of what I might do myself when I travel - want the new experiences and then just want the familiar." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Sun
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Italian restaurant chain to shut all but one site in UK as boss admits ‘we simply don't have the clout'
A POPULAR Italian restaurant chain has announced it will be pulling the shutters on another location. The move marks the company's third closure in recent years, leaving just one venue in operation. Beloved Italian institution Croma revealed it would soon be closing one of its two remaining locations, in Chorlton, Manchester. The Italian-fusion chain opened its first restaurant in 2000 and became famous for its creative dishes, which are made with specialist ingredients. Based around Manchester, Croma's original venue was located on Clarence Street in the city centre. Post-Covid closures This location remained a staple in the area for over two decades before closing its doors in 2022 following the on-going impact of the pandemic. The following year, bosses announced the closure of the Didsbury venue. They cited the end of the location's lease as the main reason for closure. After this, only the Chorlton and Prestwich restaurants remained in operation. And now the team behind the group of restaurants has said it will now also be closing the Chorlton venue later this month. Bosses released a statement sharing their sadness at the closure in south Manchester. They announced that the last day of operation will be on Sunday, July 28. Restaurant loved by celebs and royals has to close after it's infested with rats The location first opened in 2005 and had recently undergone a revamp in 2023. This renovation saw a conservatory extension and an external patio dinning area added to the venue. The restaurant is known for its famous pizza as well as other menu favourites including Tandoori chicken, crab pappardelle, and lasagne. Croma also offers desserts, including in-house gelato and its popular homemade Tiramisu. 'After 20 amazing years, we're sadly saying goodbye," Croma bosses said. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." "Our beloved Chorlton restaurant will be closing its doors at 10pm on Sunday, 28th July 2025. 'Join us one last time and come down to raise a glass and share a slice of fabulous Pizza as we celebrate two decades of incredible memories with our wonderful community. "Let's make these final weeks unforgettable.' Remaining location Bosses also confirmed the Prestwich restaurant, on Longfield Centre, will remain open, serving customers seven days a week for lunch and dinner. The group of restaurants was co-founded by Andrew Bullock and Bob Dunn, after they left the Pizza Express franchise. Andrew spoke to the Manchester Evening News when the closure of the original city centre venue was first announced three years ago. 'As an independent, we simply don't have the clout with landlords, or the balance sheet that large companies have," he said. More restaurant closures Another beloved restaurant chain announced the closure of all its locations after two decades in business. And a Coronation Street star recently confirmed the closure of her restaurant after 13 years. Plus, a complete list of all the Wetherspoons set to close their doors this year. 3 3
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Genius Tomato Sauce Upgrade Italians Have Always Known About
There's a better tomato sauce—and it's been hiding in plain sight. Passata, Italy's go-to smooth tomato purée, has slowly but steadily made its way into mainstream American grocery stores over the past several years, no longer the exclusive domain of Italian delis and specialty importers. This shift is largely due to increased distribution from major brands like Mutti and Cento. That said, it's still often lamentably relegated to the bottom shelf of the canned vegetable aisle, hidden beneath jars of premade pasta sauces—overlooked, underused, and misunderstood. But passata deserves top billing, and it's time to make the most of it. Sometimes labeled tomato purée or tomato sauce, passata is traditionally made with late summer, peak-season tomatoes, as a way to preserve them. It's a smooth, strained purée, free of skins and seeds, and typically sold in tall glass bottles. Made from ripe, high-quality tomatoes, it's left unseasoned aside from a touch of salt and, occasionally, a few basil leaves. Its natural sweetness and acidity are already beautifully balanced, so it doesn't need much doctoring. Homemade passata is a wonderful thing if you have time and ripe tomatoes, but with excellent store-bought options available now in the US, it's not essential to start from scratch. Unlike American-style store-bought tomato purées which are cooked until they have a thicker, more concentrated consistency and have a stewed-tomato flavor, passata is brighter, lighter, and far more reminiscent of fresh tomatoes. It also stands apart from jarred sauces. While jarred options often come loaded with garlic, herbs, sugar, and emulsifiers or stabilizers, passata is a blank canvas—ready to soak up whatever flavors you throw at it. But it's also vibrant enough to be prepared simply, with just a few pantry staples. And while I think passata outshines canned sauce in flavor, both are equally convenient for getting dinner on the table quickly. Only one, though, is nonna-approved. Before it became widely available, at Serious Eats, we'd often recommend puréeing canned whole tomatoes for smooth sauces. That still works—but passata skips the blender, the strainer, and most importantly, the cleanup. Passata is my weeknight workhorse. I keep two bottles on hand at all times. On nights when I don't want to think too hard, I heat olive oil with a heaping pile of sliced garlic, pour in the passata, season with chili flakes, and let it simmer just long enough for the flavors to come together—it takes less than 20 minutes. I toss it with whatever pasta I have, finish with a generous dollop of ricotta or a mound of grated Parmesan, drizzle on more olive oil, crack some black pepper over the top, and scatter torn basil if I have it on hand. It's also the base for classics like pasta with spicy 'nduja-tomato sauce and pasta alla zozzona (rigatoni with sausage, guanciale, and egg yolks). Basically, whenever a smooth sauce is desired, passata is a great go-to. As I noted above, passata is far from new—it's a staple in most Italian kitchens. But as it became more accessible in the US, it quickly became one of my indispensable pantry staples. Cento and Mutti are solid, widely available picks, but there are plenty of other great options out there—just check the label to make sure it lists nothing more than tomatoes, salt, and occasionally basil. It's the one tomato product that carries me from winter through spring and early summer, holding me over until August tomatoes finally arrive. So if you see a tall bottle of passata on your next grocery run, grab it. Then grab two more. Read the original article on Serious Eats
Times
17-06-2025
- General
- Times
5 simple sweet treats: cake and dessert recipes from Italy
The Italians, as a nation, have a very sweet tooth. This passion is said to have been inspired by the seafaring Venetians, who were among the first in Europe to trade in sugar. Married with their love of celebrating, this fondness for all things sweet means that cakes, pastries and biscuits are intuitively associated with birthdays, christenings, weddings, saints' days and religious festivals. But it goes even further: Italians love sugar so much that they often indulge on a daily basis — a small pastry with their coffee for breakfast, perhaps, or a slice of something delicious in the afternoon. Here are five of my favourites. Chocolate sin cake Serves 10 I first encountered this cake in Sicily and since then it has become a regular feature in my repertoire. The combination of chocolate and coffee — along with its squidginess — make this irresistible. Ingredients • 250g dark chocolate • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 1 tsp sea salt • 1½ tbsp cold Italian espresso coffee • 6 large eggs • 200g soft brown sugar • Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting • Poached fruit and crème fraîche, to serve (optional) Method 1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. Grease the base and sides of a 25cm cake tin, then either flour the tin or line with baking parchment. 2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water — making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the vanilla and salt to the chocolate, then the coffee, mix and leave to cool. 3. Whisk together the eggs and sugar for 8 minutes until thick and creamy, using either a handheld or stand mixer. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs and sugar and combine on a low speed. 4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30 minutes, then leave it to cool in the tin. Remove from the tin, dust with cocoa powder and enjoy with poached fruit and crème fraîche, if liked — it is ridiculously good. CLARE WINFIELD Blood orange and almond cake Serves 8-12 A gluten-free cake that hits the spot. The blood orange season is short, but normal oranges also give fantastic results. Ingredients • 280g unsalted butter • 225g caster sugar • 6 large eggs, separated • 175g ground almonds • 175g coarse polenta • Zest and juice of 4 blood oranges • Blood orange slices and chopped almonds, to decorate (optional) Method 1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a 25cm loose-bottomed round cake tin with baking parchment. 2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and thickened. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the ground almonds, polenta, orange zest and juice and mix well. 3. In a clean separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Using a metal spoon, carefully fold the whites into the mixture. 4. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 50 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Leave on a wire rack to cool completely in the tin. 5. Before serving, decorate the cake with blood orange slices and chopped almonds, if liked. CLARE WINFIELD Fig, amaretti and ricotta tart Serves 8-10 When the figs are ripe and succulent, this tart demands to be made. Full of classic Venetian tastes and textures, a small slice with an espresso is enough to lift your day. Ingredients • 130g unsalted butter • 250g amaretti biscuits • 175g full-fat soft cheese • 500g ricotta • 100g caster sugar • 1 tbsp vanilla extract • Grated zest of 1 lemon • 2 tbsp amaretto liqueur • 12 ripe figs, trimmed and sliced • 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds (optional) Method 1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas 4. Lightly grease the base and sides of a deep 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. 2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Blitz the amaretti in a food processor, then add to the pan with the butter and mix well. Tip the mixture into the base of the prepared tin, then press down with the back of the spoon to evenly distribute the crumbs and cover the base and sides. Bake the tart base for about 10 minutes. Leave to cool. 3. Mix together the soft cheese, ricotta, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest and amaretto liqueur. Spoon the mixture evenly over the tart base. Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours, then top with the sliced figs in a circular pattern. Scatter over the fennel seeds to finish, if liked. Note You may like to top the tart with a fig leaf syrup, as I have done here. To make the syrup, combine 1 litre water, 3 fig leaves and 150g caster sugar, then boil together until thick and syrupy. Drizzle over the tart to finish. CLARE WINFIELD Peach and pistachio slice Makes 14 slices A strong recipe for a novice baker, as the method is simple and easy to master. Milk provides a tender crumb for all cakes, and this is no exception. Adding pistachios makes this a bright, colourful, cheerful cake to enjoy in the Italian peach season. Ingredients • 185g Italian 00 flour • 170g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp extra for sprinkling • 1 tsp baking powder • Pinch of salt • 50g pistachios, chopped, plus extra to decorate • 3 large eggs • 60ml milk • 2 tsp vanilla extract • Grated zest of 1 lemon • 180g butter, softened • 2 ripe peaches, each stoned/pitted and cut into 6 pieces Method 1. Preheat the oven to 140C fan/gas 3. Grease the base and sides of a 20cm x 30cm baking tin. 2. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the sugar, baking powder, salt and pistachios and make a well in the centre. 3. Put the eggs, milk, vanilla and lemon zest in another bowl and mix to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the well in the dry ingredients, add the butter and beat for 2 minutes until smooth. 4. Spread the mixture evenly into the baking tin. Push the peach pieces into the cake mixture in two rows of six. Bake for 20 minutes. 5. Sprinkle over the extra sugar and cook for another 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Decorate with pistachios and cut the cake into fingers to serve. CLARE WINFIELD Classic tiramisu Serves 10-12 Literally translated, this means 'pick me up' as the sugar and alcohol lift the spirits. Make in a large serving dish or in individual portions: it looks impressive when presented in small tumblers. • 6 large eggs, separated • 100g caster sugar • 200ml double cream • 250g mascarpone • 200ml freshly brewed espresso coffee • 100ml marsala • 24 Savoiardi biscuits or sponge fingers • Cocoa powder, for dusting Method 1. In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric whisk. Using the same whisk but in another bowl, whip the cream to firm peaks, then add the mascarpone and briefly whisk again to combine. Now use a hand whisk to mix this into the egg yolk mixture until just combined. 2. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then — using a metal spoon or a whisk – mix into the cream mixture, incorporating as much air as possible. 3. Pour the espresso and marsala into a large bowl ready for dipping the biscuits. 4. Use 10-12 individual glasses or a 25cm serving dish to assemble the tiramisu. Cover the base of your glasses or dish with a 2cm layer of the cream, then a layer of the biscuits that have been dipped quickly into the espresso mixture. You have to do the soaking and layering as you go or they will become soggy — and traditionally Italians do not like soggy biscuits. 5. Continue to build the layers of cream and biscuits, ending with a layer of cream. Chill in the fridge, ideally for 6-24 hours. Dust with cocoa powder to serve.
