Ilaria’s Italian KITCHEN
Despite knowing that every moment calls for a different cheese, Ilaria Padovani from Mercato Italiano in Bridport says Pecorino Giuncato is her “go to” cheese when she’s a bit peckish at work—and who wouldn’t be peckish surrounded by all those shelves of delicious food and drink from Italy.
The Pecorino Giuncato is made by a cooperative of Sardinian shepherds using sheep’s milk. It is semi-matured for roughly ninety days until it begins to crystallise while still retaining the sweetness of young milk. “I also love the rind,” says Ilaria, referring to the shape given by the baskets the cheeses are kept in during maturation. “It is a very fine Sardinian pattern which reminds me so much of many lovely family summer holidays by the sea, but most of all the incredible hospitality we had from Sardinians. Yes, overall I have a soft spot for it—the cheese and Sardinia!”
Originally established as a weekly market stall, supplying high-quality cured meats and cheeses directly imported by Ilaria using her Italian produce contacts, Mercato Italiano has become the popular destination for authentic pizza, coffee, cocktails and so much more.
As features in the Marshwood Vale magazine
