I’ve
featured Nonna’s twice on my blog before, in fact it was the last place we went
to before lockdown (read: The Last Brunch at Nonna’s, Woburn Sands), but I had mentioned the fabulous
shop and traybakes. Damien, Amanda and the team have been amazing during this time,
looking after the community and providing such wonderful service. The
incredible offerings extend to producing brunch boxes on ‘National Best Friend
Day’ and creating bespoke anniversary packages – a fabulous three-course meal
so that you can enjoy that special Nonna’s experience in the comfort of your
own home.
Last
Friday marked a year to the day that Ash proposed and as we’ve been house-bound
for months, I wanted to do something special to celebrate – and Nonna’s were
the first restaurant I could think of. After enquiring on Facebook, I emailed
the team at Nonna’s and Amanda was so helpful, devising a menu for us. I’d like
to point out that we have no dietary requirements and eat anything, so I could
be super flexible, but also let Nonna’s guide us in terms of suggestions. Of
course, if that isn’t you, they are normally great at accommodating and you
could request something in particular. You could even add a bottle of wine or fizz
to your package – the shop is very well-stocked… heaven!
I
arranged delivery, rather than collection – and there’s a £5 charge to Newton
Leys. I’m not entirely sure on the delivery radius and individual charges – and
I couldn’t even say what time delivery runs from and until, but I requested
7pm. Our fabulous delivery driver arrived on time, and he was so friendly and
lovely.
But
let’s get stuck into the food…
Starter:
Antipasti platter for 2
Everyone
knows I love a picky starter and I’d never had the Nonna’s antipasti platter
before. There was so much food – plenty for two. Slices of sourdough, marinated
olives, sundried tomatoes, ricotta-stuffed peppers, a selection of cheese and
cured meats. I love antipasti too – and this totally didn’t disappoint. I’m
sure there were slices of my favourite cheese – Port Salut – on there, and of
course the sourdough is always excellent. I presented it on my beautiful serving
platter (TK Maxx), but we both just dug in and threw everything onto our
starter plates!
Main
course: Pasta Alla Nonna
Nonna’s
traybakes have served many during lockdown, and Alla Nonna is on their usual
restaurant menu. Again, there was so scrimping on portion size – the traybakes usually
cost £18-20 and serve 2-3, but in our case, they served 4-5. Generally, at
home, I cook 50-75g pasta per person. Anyway, I have no idea what kind of pasta
it was, but it was cooked with pancetta, chicken, mushrooms, plenty of garlic
and herbs, in a tomato ragu.
I
put the traybake in the oven on 160C fan for about 15-20 minutes to heat it
through, and upon serving, topped with some freshly grated pecorino (we had
parmesan too, but that wasn’t open). Alfie interrupted our dinner date and made
himself at home at the table, eating off Ash’s plate, so I can safely say the
pasta was a hit with all three of us. The sauce was just so flavoursome without
being too rich. And while I’m not always tolerant to white pasta, I felt fine
all weekend. I would definitely order more traybakes.
Dessert:
White Chocolate & Orange Cheesecake
After
a little breather and some more pink prosecco, it was time for our dessert. We
were given the option of cheesecake or upside-down cake and I was happy to be
flexible, depending on which fruits were available – because I absolutely love both
and am definitely too indecisive to choose between two desserts like that.
The
cheesecake was absolutely delicious, which totally surprised me as I don’t like
chocolate orange (well, I like Jaffa Cakes, but don’t like Terry’s or any of
the orange-flavoured chocolates in Christmas chocolate tins). The flavour was
so subtle and not too rich or overwhelming. There was a biscuit base, with a
chocolate layer, then a cheesecake layer topped with orange glaze and decorated
with white chocolate drops. It was heavenly.
Once
again, the traybake was huge. The cheesecake came in the same sized container
as the pasta bake and I honestly wasn’t expecting to see a whole square
cheesecake. I cut it into eight slices, which were still massive, cutting one
in half again so Alfie could try some (a sixteenth would have been too small
for me!), so we had cheesecake on Saturday and yesterday too (and I gave a
slice to my neighbour).
--
At
£40 (minus delivery), the Nonna’s at Home Anniversary Package was excellent
value for money – especially when you consider the cost of the traybakes individually
and the amount of food we had between two (well 2.5). Everything was delicious
and the service at Nonna’s is always second-to-none. You can tell that they
love food and love looking after their customers. I’m hoping that next time, we
are able to dine in the restaurant or the brasserie!
Keep
up to date with what’s going on at Nonna’s via Facebook or Instagram – there
are updates every day/most days. But I’ll always recommend Nonna’s – whether it’s
for brunch with friends, a Sunday roast with the family, or celebrating a
special occasion (like an anniversary!).
Thank
you Damien, Amanda and Team Nonna’s!
Love,
Lucy xx
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Love, Lucy xx