It is almost impossible to get an additive free balsamic vinegar. Seggiano’s balsamic is estate produced, there is no caramel color. This balsamic vinegar is more thick sweet and aromatic than the typical type due to special natural processing, plus it’s certified organic. Its dark color and sweetness is completely natural. Limited supply, non-GMO, and certified organic.

The Seggiano Fig Ball comes from Cosenza, Calabria, in southern Italy. It is a delicious and traditionally ingenious way of preserving the juicy dottato variety of figs, which have tender skins and soft seeds. The figs are picked when plump and air-dried under nets before cooking for eighteen hours at a very low temperature. By this time they are sticky with caramelised fig juices. Shaped into balls and wrapped in fig leaves which have been cleaned, dried and steamed, they are then oven baked at a low temperature for another two hours.

From the Cerignola region of Puglia in southern Italy, this olive variety is justly called Bella for its gorgeously plump fleshy fruit, its distinctive firm texture and delicious flavour. These Bella di Cerignola olives are certified organic. To avoid bruising they are hand selected and harvested in baskets during September. To remove any bitterness, they are first soaked in sea salt and water for several months before preserving in brine. As prize plump green olives, they adorn any table and are particularly enjoyable with aperitivi. Store the olives in a cool place. Once opened, keep them in the fridge covered with brine and eat within a week.

This extra virgin olive oil is from the city of Seggiano, surrounded by ancient olive groves dating back to the 10th century. Seggiano lies at an altitude of 500m on the slopes of Monte Amiata, an extinct volcano in southern Tuscany. The local olive variety is an original wild cultivar, exclusive to the Seggiano area and simply known as the olivastra seggianese. Tuscan extra virgin olive oils which have been produced with real care from healthy olives score excellent results under laboratory analysis; they are shown to have higher than average monounsaturated versus polyunsaturated fat content and an optimum factors present which inhibit oxidation and rancidity.

This is another Seggiano product from the De Carlo family, which is simply the best of its kind. Sweet, small tasty grappolato tomatoes are organically grown and ripen under the Mediterranean sun in the rich volcanic soils on the slopes of Mounte Etna, Sicily. These have far more flavor and are sweeter than the salty sun-dried variety. By contrast, these tomatoes are oven dried, flavoured with garlic, oregano and chives and then preserved in the De Carlo’s own stone ground certified organic extra virgin olive oil. They are delicious on toasted bread, bruschetta, or in sandwiches. They add colour to salads and are also very good with pasta or rice. Add to stews for a totally delectable meal. Once opened, keep the tomatoes covered in olive oil and consume within three days. Store in a cool dark place.

This classic red pesto uses succulent tomatoes and Adolfo’s fresh Ligurian basil, combining delicious vegetable flavours in a creamy nut base. Delicious tossed on pasta, it tastes great on toasted bread or bruschetta, or in sandwiches. It also makes a flavourful addition to any savoury dish. The 200g jar contains enough for two large, or four small pasta servings. Pour off any excess oil, heat the pesto very gently and stir into piping hot pasta.

These roasted artichoke hearts are simply the most delicious. Unlike the many pale, soggy artichoke hearts on the market, which have been canned in salt water, Seggiano roasted artichoke hearts are cooked and preserved in oil, sott’olio, as soon as they are freshly harvested. This is the traditional country method of preserving artichokes, and the taste is simply divine. Before they are roasted over red hot volcanic rock (preferable to charcoal since it doesn’t release gases or leave ash deposits), the morelli variety artichokes are first peeled, washed and lightly cooked in a marinade. The vegetables are preserved in a quality Canino extra virgin olive oil, excellent in its own right: it has low acidity and the oil can be used later for cooking. Delicious as an antipasto with bread, in sandwiches combined with cheese or meat, these roasted artichokes also give a touch of luxury to salads. Store the jar in a cool dark place. Once opened, keep the artichokes covered in oil and eat within two weeks.

This is the ultimate aperitivo olive: round with a rosy hue, full of flavour with a delicate, crisp flesh that comes away easily from the stone. This olive variety is unique to the Conca di Bari, the fertile basin of olive groves surrounding Puglia’s regional capital. Organically grown, the rosate olives are hand picked in September by the contadini, local smallholders, just as they start to change colour and before the main annual olive harvest. Once opened, keep the olives in the fridge covered with brine and consume within seven days.

This darkest of bee products, thick as molasses, is known as honeydew as it is not produced from flowers but made from bark and leaf resins, which woodland plants and trees produce during long excessively hot spells. Honeydew is particularly rich in mineral salts and its luscious density, complex flavours and silky texture make it a delicious complement to fresh fruit or grain cereal. A very unique experience for those who love dark honeys.