C was romantic this February and bought a voucher for us to experience the making of artisan pasta and sauce making in a 3 hour workshop. So after a one hour journey to Woolwich (we thought that the workshop would be in Central London), we arrived at Casa Grande.

Spinach tagliatelle

The workshop is run by Tatiana, the artiste. Although she is not Italian, her roots are. Brought up on traditional pasta made and cooked by her grandma, she was unhappy at the quality of pasta in the UK. She found it strange that UK, despite producing their own eggs and flour, imports tons of dried pasta from Italy. She aims to make the best dried home made pasta from her studio using only organic, locally sourced ingredients.

During the workshop, she explains how the pasta is the made and dried naturally. She then demonstrates a few traditional recipes using the fresh pasta that was just made and we got to taste them with wine.

Her products feature different types of flour from strong flour to spelt and buckwheat. She also mixes in beetroot or spinach for added flavor, and with a simple sauce such as carbonara, that certainly brings color to the plate.

She was definitely a fan of technology and the pasta machine is equipped with a bronze die. This allows the pasta to be more porous than the regular commercial brands; hence when cooked, the pasta will absorb the sauce much more to create a homogenous flavor.

It was a truly an enjoyable morning, and I have learned so much more about pasta than in my three hour practical in school. I am inspired to try my hand at making my own pasta again. Until then, I have some naturally dried pasta that is non chemically processed to enjoy.

To order your own homemade artisan pasta or to find out more about the workshop, please visit her website.

Pasta drying naturally