I love food. I mean really love it and I love good quality food the best of all. Luckily for me I was recently asked to put together the perfect picnic using some of the products available on the Ciao Gusto shop on Ocado. Ciao Gusto is a group of famous Italian food and drinks brands who work together to spread the love of Italian food around the world. Each member of Ciao Gusto is a brand leader in Italy and they all share a devotion to quality.
I am currently going to the gym quite a bit so I was trying to choose food that I would enjoy and that would fit within the meal plans that I need to follow. This meant a focus on whole wheat products, good quality protein and healthy fats. Luckily for me Ciao Gusto provided everything that I needed and even had a variety of snack products to keep me going including the gorgeous Alfredo Black pepper crisps and Noberasco Bio nuts which are a great healthy fat snack for when you are out and about.
I used the Colussi Whole wheat crackers and the Amica whole wheat croutons with the Auricchio cheese slices and Negroni cured meat platters to create a gorgeous platter of healthy yet delicious snacks. The addition of the Ponti roasted pepper and sundried tomatoes really helped to add colour and flavour. I also really enjoyed the octopus salad which is something I had never tried before but certainly something I would try again.
Having a picnic usually involves unhealthy foods covered in pastry but this shows that eating Al Fresco can still taste good and be good for you at the same time. All of the items I purchased were perfect for packing in the picnic bag and taking with us for a day out and all of it was ready to eat. My main difficulty was choosing which of the amazing Ciao Gusto products to choose in the first place.
You can find out more about the stories behind the different Ciao Gusto brands and some fabulous recipes to try on the Ciao Gusto website www.ciaogusto.com
You can also check out my Italian Gift Hamper post using the Ciao Gusto products.