Sweet as Honey, Sparkling as Beer: A Day in Pozzol Groppo - Part II

It is the craft beers produced by the farm that add shades with golden and bronzed reflections to the palette. “We grow the barley to produce our beers, and in this case too there is the chance to take part in working days on the farm. We organise these events throughout the year with tastings and sampling, usually for five or six people at a time. You need to book in advance because our master brewer and taster, Paolo Canevari, is always very busy. He is Luca's brother and was the “director” of the craft beer project. Without him we probably wouldn't have started this new challenge. We owe him a big thank you!” the owner tells us. If the farmhouse is already very rich in opportunities for relaxation, entertainment and original and curious activities to try, the future also holds interesting new developments, starting with honey and beer.

It will in fact be these treats that form the common thread of an upcoming set menu, based on the seasonality of the products, in which every speciality will be created with honey or beer. The spiritual legacy of the teacher Carla will also be carried on by a new project: an educational farm with a clear social vocation. “We are already hosting similar events with the help of a friend, a psychologist named Barbara, who lives nearby. From next year we will start the actual educational farm project, with baby boars, donkeys and little goats, and we will hold horticultural therapy and pet therapy sessions. At the moment we are working on recovering the land to create a terraced vegetable garden, where the use of water and solar energy will also follow, as already happens at the farmhouse, an eco-sustainable concept.

Combining the tourism side with the social one, involving more and more also the businesses around us, with which we are aiming for an ever-deeper collaboration, is our goal,” Claudia explains. The colours of the countryside delight us in a particular way when we find them at the table, during our dinner devoted to the flavours of the area. Welcoming us into the dining room and pampering us during dinner is Elisa, a very capable manager and the tireless soul of the farmhouse, a precious point of reference for guests. We begin with a board of cured meats including the salame nobile del Giarolo, the ever-present salame di Varzi, the coppa piacentina and the pancetta from a company in Pozzol Groppo. We accompany them with an exquisite bagnetto verde, prepared according to the family recipe.

We also taste savoury pies, flans and strudels of seasonal vegetables, much appreciated by our vegetarian friend too. Besides the set menu, which changes a couple of times a month and also includes specialities served on boards and in baking dishes so that diners can help themselves freely, encouraging conviviality and a sense of sharing, a small à la carte menu is also available, with the option of choosing even just a quick dish, always something typical of the area, in keeping with the season. The treats that arrive at our table are prepared by chef Francesco who, following the guidelines of mother Nella and with the precious help of Salvatore, works little miracles in the kitchen. We continue with some very good ravioli and with fresh, homemade malfatti, dressed with butter and sage picked from the garden right before our eyes, or with ragù.

In season we will be able to enjoy them with mushrooms too, which here are the true stars of autumn along with truffles. Besides eating them, during the themed outings organised by the farmhouse it is also possible to learn to hunt for them and recognise them. We are in a wine-growing area, so it is a great pleasure to enjoy a nice Montebore risotto with Timorasso, but we also very much like the potato gnocchi with nettles. We wash down these treats with excellent local wines, practically zero-mile. Our glasses are filled with the Timorasso and Barbera of Cascina I Carpini and Cantina Albera Angelo, but we also taste the excellent wines of Fattoria Cabanon, known in the area also for having added a beautiful colour to the landscape palette: that of lavender, thanks to an extensive crop whose scent caresses the valley, lulling it into a lilac dream.

Among the main courses we delight in roasts and sliced meats, prepared with the excellent meats from farms in the Val Curone. Next, we taste a fantastic board of cheeses accompanied by honeys served in handy dispensers so that you can taste even just a drop, moving easily from acacia to chestnut, from wildflower to dandelion, from linden to sunflower, from honeydew honey to alfalfa honey. Such a pleasant day can only end in great sweetness, and so here we are pampering ourselves with fresh, homemade desserts including chocolate salami, semifreddi, apple cake, tarts and shortcrust pastry with seasonal fruit. Here come the ever-present Volpedo peaches! Those not produced directly by the farm come from nearby farms or from the charming Antico Mercato di Volpedo, a small point of reference for organic produce in this area.

Before heading back to the city, we stock up on honey, jams and homemade biscuits, and set off with one certainty: since Pozzol Groppo lies in a territory also known as the Quattro Province, from now on, as soon as we happen to set foot in one of the four, we will find a way to make a detour to come back here for new walks, afternoons spent among the flowers or around the fields, and delicious dinners like the one we have just had.

Francesca Bertha

PER INFORMAZIONI:

Agriturismo Casa Tui Fraz. Ca' Dandrino, Località Casa Tui, Pozzol Groppo (AL) Tel.: 0131/1978053 366/8729762