By: Sara Grazia

Every year I pack up the car with a mountain of salami casings, spices, salami making equipment, and of course - fresh pork for the annual pilgrimage to my mamma's outdoor kitchen for a spot of traditional Italian salami making.

My mamma likes to stick to her traditional upbringing and when it comes to salami making it’s no different… so that means in the middle of July, we’re out in her shed dicing up kilograms of pork meat, mincing it, seasoning it and stuffing it. It gets pretty cold as the night creeps in, but she won’t have salami making any other way!

I’m lucky enough to have a cool room, so making salami all year round isn’t too much of a problem; however my mamma doesn’t like to go messing around with a process and tradition that has been mastered over generations. So in the middle of winter, I bundle up nice and warm in my woollens and fur lined boots and brave the chill to help produce a bounty of homemade salami that will be shared throughout the family for the coming year..

Here is a little sneak peek at what we Italians get up to during the winter months in our garden sheds. All I can tell you is those sheds are pretty deceiving, what you see on the outside, does not reflect the hive of activity that you’re likely to find on the inside, take a look for yourself at our recent salami making session.

If after looking through my photos you fancy rolling up your sleeves and giving some traditional salami making a go, there is still time to book yourself into one of our master classes this salami making season… there is still time to learn and master this age old tradition, and of course share the bounty with those that you love.

Happy salami making.

Buon Appetito