I posted earlier today about our love of Italy. But what about when you get back home? Can you really capture the spirit and taste of Italy in a UK kitchen?

I was recently asked if I’d like to try out Giovanni Rana’s new Fresh Filled Pasta Ready Meals. The new range includes:

• Tortellini filled with Prosciutto Crudo in tomato sauce (with cherry tomatoes, spinach and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings).
• Tortellini filled with Spinich and Ricotta in a basil sauce (with courgettes and cheese shavings).
• Tortellini filled with Prosciutto Crudo in Alfredo sauce (with peas, smoked ham and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings).

For this review I tested out the Tortellini filled with Prosciutto Crudo in tomato sauce.

To start with the packaging is very appealing, it looks like a quality product which is something ready meals can lack.

After a few short minutes in the microwave I placed the pasta into a bowl. You can of course eat it straight from the packet, but as I was at home I preferred to use my own dish. It all looked very appetizing.

Down to the taste testing. To start with the pasta was perfectly al dente. I had worried it might be sloppy as pre-prepared pastas sometimes can be. But this was just right.

The sauce was very filling and the portion size just right for me. I love cheesy pasta sauces but they can be heavy and leave you feeling sluggish. Thankfully this wasn’t the case here, there was just the right combination of cheese with a cut through taste of fresh tomato. Everything looked and more importantly tasted fresh.

Would I recommend this product?

Yes, I was very impressed and would happily eat more of these. Ready meal pastas don’t often appeal to me, sporting tough/overcooked pasta with a heavy sauce. But this was as fresh and tasty as if it had just been prepared in a restaurant. In fact I’m sure you could pass this off as homemade if you fancied. As a ready meal for one person this is a very handy solution and with an RRP of £2.99 a very affordable choice.

Could it be improved in anyway?

Not this particular dish. But I would like to see more varieties added to the range and perhaps larger sizes if you wanted to feed more than one person.