As well as being a great place to eat authentic Italian food, Salvi’s in Manchester also hosts some amazing Pasta Making Classes which help you to recreate this Italian staple in your own home.

I went along to experience one of their recent classes, which was being taught by the ‘Queen of Pasta’, Carmela Sereno Hayes. Carmela is the author of two Italian Cookbooks the latest of which being named ‘Passion for Pasta’, a title that certainly sums her up.

In this class she teaches some of the techniques for producing just a few of the 642 different types of Pasta that exist.

The Classes are designed to show you how to produce some of these beautiful shapes at home in your own kitchen, using simple ingredients that are also stocked by Salvis, to give you a truly authentic dish.

Starting of the evening with a glass of Prosecco and a food platter, the small group is then led to the tables where magic happens.

You will marvel at the demonstration of how to make an authentic pasta dough, followed by the array of techniques that can be used to produce the most stunning looking pasta shapes, right before your eyes.

Then after these have been demonstrated, you get the chance to try them out for yourself under the watchful eye of the tutor. From farfalle bows and garganelli to cappelli, you will be making pasta shapes in ways that you never thought possible.

Having made pasta myself numerous times, I thought I was just about ok, however what I’ve learnt at this course will really elevate my pasta to a completely new level.

After you have mastered a number of different shapes, the group then sit down for a delicious pasta dinner and wine. So not only do you get to learn and develop a new way to cook at home, but you also get to enjoy a sociable and enjoyable meal.

Pasta Lessons are available throughout the year, with many being taught by Salvi’s owner Maurizio and bookings being available online here

In addition to the classes, Carmela will be re-visiting Manchester in July for Festa Italiana, where she will be conducting both adult and children’s lessons.

And whilst we are talking Italian food, don’t forget that Salvi’s will also be Partnering with San Carlo to host a very special banquet a part of the festival, which you can read more about here