The amount of supermarket shelf space devoted to pasta is a good indication of its popularity with consumers. There is of course a split between dried and 'fresh' pasta but what is not so well known is that serious compromises have been made along the way, to achieve the price point and shelf life that the supermarket supply chain requires.

Dried pasta is now a low cost commodity available by the sack in supermarkets. Almost all dried pasta is made using an industrial process that is far removed from the ancient artisan method. The huge extruding machines use plastic dies, which have a longer life and generate less heat, so the pasta can be produced faster and with greater control. The serious downside of this is that the pasta is very smooth and slippery when cooked. The rough texture that is typical of extruding through bronze has disappeared, and with it one of the most important attributes of good pasta. In addition, industrial-speed drying of pasta at high temperatures reduces the nutritional value and can compromise taste. It is all a very long way from pasta drying slowly in open-windowed barns, using just the hot, dry southern Italian breeze.

What the supermarkets call fresh pasta is neither truly fresh nor of the quality that is available fresh in Italy every day in pasta shops and bakeries. The supermarkets are able to call their pasta 'fresh' because it has not been dried. It could not be called 'freshly made' because the pasta could actually be weeks old. The shelf life is extended by a combination of processes including heat-treatment and packing in a modified atmosphere. It is often made with a reduced egg content, can contain preservatives and the heat-treatment changes the texture and the taste, gelatinising the pasta.



In the UK we are at the start of a revolution in pasta making. There is a very real opportunity to give consumers a quality of pasta that is quite unsurpassed, that perfectly fits the growing demand for high quality, fresh, locally produced food. We have customers spanning both restaurant and retail and many of the things that make pasta from our machines such a compelling proposition are common to them both.

To restaurants we would say - It isn't only about the sauce! When the pasta you serve is the very best your customers have ever had and you've made it in your own unique way, your reputation and profitability can only be enhanced.

To farm shops or delicatessens we would say - In the struggle to offer customers a product range that's different from the supermarkets, fresh pasta made using our machines is a beacon of hope. Fresh extruded egg pasta has a 3-day chilled shelf life and could never fit into a supermarket range, with its dependence on industrially produced long shelf life pasta. This is your own superb, quality product and unique retailing opportunity!

As well as offering a unique quality of pasta you will be able to offer sauces, meat and cheese to accompany the pasta. This will increase profits and build new business, based on one of the most popular food staples, with infinite potential for variety - in pasta shapes, recipes and sauces.

Some of the many other benefits of home-made fresh pasta include :

• Homemade fresh pasta is less expensive than buying-in fresh pasta and with the potential for unique recipes, can be made into a 'signature' product that makes you stand out from your competitors.
  
  
• Fresh pasta can be extruded into a wide variety of shapes, many of which, like proper round spaghetti, authentic oval linguine and wonderful rigatoni can only be made using an extruding machine.
  
  
• There is real 'theatre' in seeing the pasta machines in action. We would urge everyone to consider how your customers might be able to see the pasta being made. It is such an incredible process to watch that this alone will have a huge impact.
  
  
• The machines are very simple to operate. It is genuinely effortless, as the machines will automatically mix, knead and extrude, the whole process, in one easy operation.
  
  
• The machines are very fast. One batch of pasta, from 10 to 150 servings depending on the machine size, will be complete in 20 minutes. Without the speed and simplicity of our machines, it would not be possible to consider in-house pasta making.
  
  
• Authentic pasta can be made using Italian durum semolina or a mix of semolina and '00' flour. It is even possible to buy Italian egg yolks for an intense yellow colour and rich flavour.
  
  
• use different recipes for different pasta shapes - soft silky fettuccine with '00' flour; strong robust rigatoni or fusilli with 100% semolina.
  
  
• Alternatively, you can be true to your environmental ideals and make low food miles organic pasta with locally sourced flour and eggs.
  
  
• Nutritionally, pasta is a very healthy food that is high in fibre and low in fat and sugar. It is a low GI food full of complex carbohydrates and gives a slow and steady release of energy. Pasta made using our machines is mixed short, it doesn't develop the gluten as much so it is light and doesn't leave you with a heavy or bloated feeling.
  
  
• For those with wheat intolerance, buckwheat pasta provides a much simpler and more appetising solution than gluten-free dried pasta, with its typically long ingredients listing. Buckwheat pasta has a nutty flavour and makes a truly wonderful alternative that will enhance the quality of a dish rather than act as a second-best.