Sponsored Post.
I was invited to the following event on behalf of Birra Moretti. I wasn’t paid and all opinions and images used within the post are my own.

Last week I attended my first event as a blogger and let’s just say I was a little excited. Not only was I going to experience the taste of Italy, but I was heading there as a blogger and that my blog is finally growing after two years in the blogging game!

The event was hosted by Birra Moretti an Italian Beer company, and along with their beer, it featured an array of street food influenced from across Italy. Housed in Leeds Town Hall, this magnificent building with it’s wonderful decor was a great match for the event. On arrival we were given passports for our journey, which enabled us to collect stamps from each vendor to receive a gift at the end. The designer in me loved this, a great little touch as the finer details had been considered too.

First stop was the bar to try the hosts beer; half a pint if you’re asking. A golden beer that was light to the taste, easy to drink with a slightly malt/wheat taste. It complemented the dishes perfectly, especially the pasta and risotto. The food ranged from pasta, slow cooked meats, pizza, risotto and gelato, with my first dish of the evening being the Arancina balls from the Melbourne natives Arancini Brothers. Risotto filled balls with mozzarella and tomato, ricotta and nutmeg, and porcinin mushrooms, served with relish and chopped basil. The smell of this dish alone was wonderful, with the food gone in minutes! Next up beer and balsamic pulled pork with fuscilli and parmesan from Tigellae a simple Italian dish with the pork melting in your mouth, delicious.

By far one of the most popular vendors of the evening was Leeds based Pizza Fella; authentic Italian pizza served straight from a 1967 Citroen H van. I was more than happy to wait for my pizza, as when it arrived I wasn’t disappointed; the base was both crispy and doughy with a wonderful flavour – it was just as good as the topping itself.

After trying all the dishes I was starting to feel quit full, but I still had room to try the gelato from Brio Gelati. Now I have to confess I don’t like ice cream (what?! I hear you cry!) yes it’s true, but the sweet little van that housed the gelato drew me in and the flavours they offered made me curious. After much deliberation I opted for peanut with salted caramel and for someone that doesn’t like ice cream it was delicious, not too sweet, the flavours blended perfectly and the texture was velvety smooth. This gelato might just be the exception to my ‘I don’t like ice cream’ rule!

The evening had to come to an end eventually (it was a school night for me) and I left the celebrations still in full swing. It was a wonderful event to attend and it was great to try new dishes, a new beer and soak up the vibrant Italian culture for a few hours.

Other vendors at the event included Pasta E Basta, La Bottega Milanese and Ipsum Vinotec