It started out as an ordinary day. Early morning shrieking at the children about shoes and bags. School run, washing machine on (again) dishwasher loaded, emails checked......and then there was a bit lot of squealing as one email revealed an invitation to go and cook with Italian celeb chef Gino D'Acampo in his actual kitchen in his actual home.
For those of you who have been living in a cave, or who don't share my love of TV cookery shows you could have seen Gino on This Morning, Let's Do Lunch with Gino and Mel, There's No Taste Like Home, Gino's Italian Escape and Naked Cooking with Madmumof7....OK I'll admit the last one is just a fantasy show of my own making.
He was crowned King of the Jungle in 2009's I'm a Celebrity...... Get Me Out Of Here and is a regular panellist on Celebrity Juice. He has written many books and launched "My Pasta Bar" an innovative fast food concept for the busy diner on the go.
This week Gino wanted to talk about his new range of cleverly packaged fresh "Bake With Me" pizza bases (being launched in Asda stores next week) which you can simply roll out, top and bake producing great tasting pizza which sneaky souls can pass off as home-made.
To be honest I would have gone along if he was talking about foot fungus cream but once in his beautiful house with a frankly spectacular kitchen (complete with 5 ovens and an induction wok!) it became apparent that these "Bake With Me" pizza bases could transform home fast food!
I have a confession here folks. *whispers* I don't like pizza. Well, I don't like those frozen things - cheesy flying saucers with indiscriminate lumps of meat which you have to peel off and redistribute in a more even way. I buy them of course - they are convenient and the kids will eat them at a push.
They much prefer my homemade pizza, made with a dough base (mixed in the bread maker) topped with tomato sauce and grated cheese and occasionally some ham and pineapple or pepperoni. I usually make some garlic dough balls too which we all love.
But the trouble with this is whilst making my pizza, I get covered in flour, my nails get glued up with dough and inevitably the flipping thing sticks to the tray leaving me with a rock-hard bready mess to soak and scrape off.
The new product which Gino has helped develop is a roll-out fresh base, much like the roll out pastry you can buy. (which I pass off as my own as well)
Gino's Bake With Me pizza bases can last up to a staggering two weeks in the fridge, and are freezable. Because each base rolls out onto the greaseproof paper it is packaged in, it makes no mess on your baking trays.
It's such a staggeringly simple idea it leaves you wondering why no-one has thought of it before. Well of course they have. In other countries,including Italy it's a well established product. Gino told us he asked his mum (who lives in Italy) about ready-made fresh pizza bases and she confessed that even she uses them!
So how easy is the product to use?
Couldn't be more simple. Just unwrap, roll out onto a tray leaving the base on the paper it is rolled in, add toppings and bake for 15 minutes.
Gino is a pizza purist and likes to add a basic sauce with just basil added and mozzarella (preferably not buffalo mozzarella apparently as it is too moist). He saves any addition of fresh basil or other herbs, rocket or parma ham 'til the last minute of cooking to avoid drying out.
He said it's fine to add more hardy ingredients like peppers, pepperoni, onion, olives,mushrooms and sweetcorn before cooking - good news if you have children like mine who are much more likely to eat what they've made if they have helped to prepare or cook it.
My children adore making pizza faces and it's much easier to let them "decorate" a cold pizza rather than hurl things onto a hot base. These new fresh bases will make this an even easier process than usual as they can even unfurl the base themselves.
How tasty is the product?
As I mentioned before I don't really like supermarket pizza but this gives an authentic taste and texture - not too hard and crunchy but not soggy and droopy either.
I love that you can customise the toppings yourself and as one who could happily live a life without cheese I was interested to learn that the Italians love a Marinara - a cheese-free pizza. Definitely trying that one at home.
You can use the "Bake With Me" pizza base any way you like, using it for canapé, calzone, stuffed crust pizza or even sweet pizza. Yes, you heard me. Sweet pizza.
Gino topped one of the bases with a thick layer of hazelnut chocolate spread, added sliced bananas then rolled the whole lot up. He then sliced the roll, much like you would make Chelsea Buns, and baked in the oven. Let me tell you - this simple sweet treat is divine!
Where can you buy Gino's "Bake With Me" fresh pizza bases?
They will be available from Asda stores from Monday October 5 with launch prices starting at just £1! The bases come in different varieties including a thin and crispy base, and a base complete with a jar of tomato topping. Although there will be special offers as they launch, normal RRP prices are still incredibly reasonable-cheaper than most high end pizzas.
Remember the product has quite a long shelf life AND can be frozen so it's worth stocking up.
I think they would be perfect for quick lunches, supper time munchy moments and those unexpected playdates where you suddenly have to find tea for extra children.
The only problem I can see with the rollout base is that it is so easy to use I could easily see myself overdosing on pizza-sweet and savoury.
As if my lunch date was not exciting enough I walked away from Gino's lovely house feeling a little giddy from the Prosecco and a very Italian double kiss goodbye from the man himself clutching an apron adorned with Gino's face and a signed recipe book.
Many thanks once again to Flea Enterprises for arranging the event- truly a lunch to remember.
Disclaimer: Although I enjoyed lunch and a cookery session with Gino, and came home with a lovely free cookery book views and opinions remain honest and my own.
This week Gino wanted to talk about his new range of cleverly packaged fresh "Bake With Me" pizza bases (being launched in Asda stores next week) which you can simply roll out, top and bake producing great tasting pizza which sneaky souls can pass off as home-made.
I have a confession here folks. *whispers* I don't like pizza. Well, I don't like those frozen things - cheesy flying saucers with indiscriminate lumps of meat which you have to peel off and redistribute in a more even way. I buy them of course - they are convenient and the kids will eat them at a push.
They much prefer my homemade pizza, made with a dough base (mixed in the bread maker) topped with tomato sauce and grated cheese and occasionally some ham and pineapple or pepperoni. I usually make some garlic dough balls too which we all love.
But the trouble with this is whilst making my pizza, I get covered in flour, my nails get glued up with dough and inevitably the flipping thing sticks to the tray leaving me with a rock-hard bready mess to soak and scrape off.
The new product which Gino has helped develop is a roll-out fresh base, much like the roll out pastry you can buy. (which I pass off as my own as well)
Gino's Bake With Me pizza bases can last up to a staggering two weeks in the fridge, and are freezable. Because each base rolls out onto the greaseproof paper it is packaged in, it makes no mess on your baking trays.
It's such a staggeringly simple idea it leaves you wondering why no-one has thought of it before. Well of course they have. In other countries,including Italy it's a well established product. Gino told us he asked his mum (who lives in Italy) about ready-made fresh pizza bases and she confessed that even she uses them!
So how easy is the product to use?
Couldn't be more simple. Just unwrap, roll out onto a tray leaving the base on the paper it is rolled in, add toppings and bake for 15 minutes.
Gino is a pizza purist and likes to add a basic sauce with just basil added and mozzarella (preferably not buffalo mozzarella apparently as it is too moist). He saves any addition of fresh basil or other herbs, rocket or parma ham 'til the last minute of cooking to avoid drying out.
He said it's fine to add more hardy ingredients like peppers, pepperoni, onion, olives,mushrooms and sweetcorn before cooking - good news if you have children like mine who are much more likely to eat what they've made if they have helped to prepare or cook it.
My children adore making pizza faces and it's much easier to let them "decorate" a cold pizza rather than hurl things onto a hot base. These new fresh bases will make this an even easier process than usual as they can even unfurl the base themselves.
How tasty is the product?
As I mentioned before I don't really like supermarket pizza but this gives an authentic taste and texture - not too hard and crunchy but not soggy and droopy either.
I love that you can customise the toppings yourself and as one who could happily live a life without cheese I was interested to learn that the Italians love a Marinara - a cheese-free pizza. Definitely trying that one at home.
You can use the "Bake With Me" pizza base any way you like, using it for canapé, calzone, stuffed crust pizza or even sweet pizza. Yes, you heard me. Sweet pizza.
Where can you buy Gino's "Bake With Me" fresh pizza bases?
They will be available from Asda stores from Monday October 5 with launch prices starting at just £1! The bases come in different varieties including a thin and crispy base, and a base complete with a jar of tomato topping. Although there will be special offers as they launch, normal RRP prices are still incredibly reasonable-cheaper than most high end pizzas.
Remember the product has quite a long shelf life AND can be frozen so it's worth stocking up.
The only problem I can see with the rollout base is that it is so easy to use I could easily see myself overdosing on pizza-sweet and savoury.
As if my lunch date was not exciting enough I walked away from Gino's lovely house feeling a little giddy from the Prosecco and a very Italian double kiss goodbye from the man himself clutching an apron adorned with Gino's face and a signed recipe book.
Many thanks once again to Flea Enterprises for arranging the event- truly a lunch to remember.
Disclaimer: Although I enjoyed lunch and a cookery session with Gino, and came home with a lovely free cookery book views and opinions remain honest and my own.