the village italian

I had dinner last night at a little Italian restaurant in the village of Stock , about 45 minutes outside London . Nestled in a quiet little village, Pietro’s is quite sweet. Its Italian chef came to England in 1978, where he has been working in the industry ever since, until he decided to settle into his own place, the old tearooms in Stock.

Dinner was well executed, with fresh produce and classic, simple and seasonal flavours. For the starter course, my antipasto misto con carciofini e olive, an antipasti plate with fresh buffalo mozzarella rolled with parma ham and rocket, served with green olives and fresh tomatoes, was excellent. The quality of the tomatoes completely set the dish apart.

My companions ordered starters as well: a first course of tagliatelle Bolognese and Gamberoni alla meridionale, or tiger prawns cooked in butter, garlic, chilli, parsley and white wine. The size of the prawns was particularly impressive.

As it was a cold, drizzly night, I went straight for warming pasta as my main course: tortellini stuffed with spinach and ricotta with a sage and butter sauce. It was slightly dry, though too much butter would have been equally distressing. More sage would have improved the dish further.

Also ordered were the veal chops with a side of risotto and swordfish meuniere. The veal was decent, though my companion suffered the fate of many who have ordered risotto at restaurants only to have it delivered just undercooked. Both mains were served with steamed vegetables, cauliflower cheese and roasted potatoes. The swordfish was excellently cooked, however and is likely one of the chef’s star dishes.

A respectable establishment that I would easily return to. The starters and fish were the highlights, without question, though the white wine, a Frescati, was superb as well.

Pietro’s Restaurant, 20 The Square, Stock, Ingatestone, Essex CM4 9LH. Tel: 01277 829772