The Giovanni Rana Famiglia Table Challenge

giovanni-rana

A couple of weeks ago we were challenged to take the the Giovanni Rana Famiglia Table Challenge. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, especially one that involves delicious Italian food, we decided to take them up on it.

Italian food always goes down well here with all of us. I’d say it’s my favourite kind of food and fortunately the Husband and the children enjoy it, too. Nice and easy quick pastas are a firm favourite, so Giovanni Rana is welcome in my home!

giovanni-rana-pasta

So what’s the challenge all about? Giovanni Rana is on a mission to make the dinner table the heart of every home and are encouraging us to live the Italian way. As they say ‘One of the most distinctive characteristics of being Italian is the love for food. Enjoying a meal together around the table, spending time in each other’s company and eating a delicious dinner, is a great way to be together with family and friends, even when life gets hectic.’ They want families to enjoy taking time to eat their meals together over the table each evening, something that I can completely get behind as this is something that we always do here.

We are fortunate that the Husband tends to arrive home at around 5.30pm each evening and as I am here I can get the meal ready for then. This still gives us plenty of time to eat our food, catch up on each others’ days and have some quiet time away from screens, toys and phones – oh yes, phones are definitely not welcome at the table – before the kids’ bath and bedtime. It works for us, as we’ve been doing it since the children were in their high chairs so it’s a formed habit. Every now and then we’ll have a takeaway night (usually pizza, I told you we love Italian!) and it does feel strange then to eat from our laps! But even though we do this regularly, we still come up short compared to the Italians. Apparently, the average British meal at the table takes around twenty minutes, which I’d say is about right for us, but in Italy they spend a good half an hour or more savouring their food and lingering over their chats. We also seem to be in the minority, as only 22% of Brits actually eat at the table daily.

family-meal

Do check out the full Live Italian guide here, and there’s a great free booklet chock-full of facts and tips.

For me, one of the appeals of Italian food is how quickly it can be prepared and on the table. Some evenings I am juggling so many tasks, it’s great to pop some fresh pasta on to cook and minutes later have a dish ready to serve. We have tried out several Giovanni Rana pastas now, and all have gone down well, but I’d say this was our favourite meal…

giovanni-rana-pasta-meal

We loved Giovanni Rana Ravioli ‘Parmigiano Reggiano & Creamy Ricotta’ served the Italian way with butter and parmesan and a sprinkle of black pepper on top, alongside chunks of warm crusty bread. Seriously good! They have some delicious looking recipes over on their website that are worth checking out – I think I’ll be trying the Chicken Ravioli with Roast Chicken, Wilted Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes next, it looks so tasty!

Buon appetito!

Will you be taking up the challenge with your family?

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post

Sharing is caring!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *