Valvona & Crolla

Valvona & Crolla celebrates its seventieth anniversary this autumn and from its early days serving the Italian community in Edinburgh, the service it now offers extends nationwide, courtesy of the internet. The wine shop has won Scottish Wine Merchant of the Year, the fifth time in six years.

FRESHLY MADE BREAD

Through its website, this famed Italian, Edinburgh-based delicatessen and wine merchant offers an exciting array of delicious food from Italy and some products from the UK. The range is excellent though not as extensive as the shop. You can order bread online, made at their own bakery, vegetable boxes from the markets in Milan, lemons from Amalfi, delicious salami, some made especially for Valvona & Crolla, such as Fonteluna sausage, cheese, olive oil. It boasts a next day delivery to the majority of its customers.

ITALY'S FINEST INGREDIENTS

Mary and Philip Contini's enthusiasm for this busy enterprise bursts through on the pages of their website. The shop, the wine shop, the bakery and the cafe are bustling with trade and pride. Some of Mary's recipes can be found online and you can be sure that these have been handed down from generation to generation. There is a list of events, which sell out well in advance, which is not surprising as they feature the likes of Clarissa Dickson Wright, Nigella Lawson, Darina Allen, Anna del Conte.

NIGEL SLATER'S FAVOURITE

Nigel Slater sums up what this famous deli stands for by saying, 'Valvona & Crolla in Edinburgh is everything I want a food shop to be. Sometimes I wish the Continis would let me move in.' You don't need more praise than that.