ORDINE DELLA STELLA D’ITALIA
The Order of the Star of Italy is a civilian honour of the Italian Republic awarded for commercial enterprises, business achievements and the promotion of economic, friendly and co-operative relations between Italy and other countries.
It was an honour to be awarded the medal and rank as Knight on Tuesday 20 October by the Ambassador, Sig Alessandro Palazzi, at the Embassy in Grosvenor Square. I was first notified that my name had been shortlisted back in January this year and had to wait until September when I was informed the President of Italy had conferred the honour on the recommendation of the Foreign Minister.
What surprised me most was that I had been put forward as a British independent business owner whose work with Italian producers over the past 30 years was deemed worthy of this award. It’s not often seen and I believe a total of 200 medals are awarded around the world each year.
I think from the photographs of the evening and the video (on Instagram) of my speech you can gather I was rather overwhelmed as well as truly delighted. I was very pleased to be able to say a few words to highlight the people who work with me in the business and, also Sarah Bilney who works side by side with me on all projects and business decisions. I felt the award was not just about me but about the whole business and the people who make it work.
The pride and dedication towards producers and products is testament to the success of La Fromagerie. The relationships we develop and maintain, the sourcing and providing support for small production together with all the paperwork required to import, is all part of the process. It is not easy especially with the small producers and specialist products as the administration side is very complex.
Each season sees changes in products, and we get excited to create events and menus to showcase them. The colours of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter are the backdrops to our shops and online marketplace. We have always said we don’t need fancy packaging as the products speak for themselves, and especially the Italian produce as we bring in fresh fruit and vegetables as well as farmhouse cheeses, prosciutto, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, confectionery, wine, condiments and dry goods. Italy has so much to offer and our trips to regions always enrich and delight us.
In honour of my award, I am creating 3 cheeseboards. The first celebrates Northern Italy where the cheeses are rich and fruity. They can be compared to their neighbours in France, Switzerland and Germany in style, but with a defined taste of their terroir.
The second board which will follow on, will be Central Italy, for a 3-year Parmigiano Reggiano tasting sweet and earthy with a crystalline crunch, and Pecorino both young and mid-aged from Emilia Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria,
The third board will celebrate Southern Italy; Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia with cheeses from the creamy unctuous Burrata to the strong and spicy Ragusano and Pecorino Canestrato.
All the boards will have a wine match, and additions of products linked to the region, just to show you some of the products we import and showcase in the shops.
We see a huge amount of Italian food and drink on the shelves in deli’s and supermarkets, but what you will find with us are specific producers making extraordinary products, many of them seasonal to be enjoyed at the right time.
By Patricia Michelson
