Italian food specialist La Bottega delle Langhe has recently celebrated its first birthday. CATHERINE BRUCE speaks to the owners about their dream to bring a taste of Italy to York.

GOURMET food-lovers need look no further than La Bottega delle Langhe. Little over a year after Ottavio Bocca and Heidi Wilson opened the small shop in High Petergate, York, La Bottega's wide selection of unusual Italian foods have attracted a cult following.

The secret to the shop's success has been word-of-mouth recommendations. Specialising in home-made breads, cakes and biscuits, lovingly crafted each morning by Ottavio, a trained Italian pastry chef, the business aims to introduce products which can't be bought in a supermarket.

The unhurried atmosphere of La Bottega, which is crammed with pastas, olive oils, cheeses and meats imported from specialist artisan producers, is refreshingly Mediterranean. And it is perhaps not surprising that many of the shop's most loyal customers are Italian ex-pats, who like Ottavio have left Italy to make a life in York.

The couple met in London six years ago when Ottavio worked as a chef in a Mayfair hotel. After two years living together in a village on Italy's Lake Garda, they decided to return to York, where Heidi is from, to make their dream of running their own business a reality.

Neither Heidi, 25, nor Ottavio, 29, knew what to expect from the venture, which is their first business, but the shop, which is open Monday to Saturday, has gone from strength to strength.

Ottavio said: "I wanted to do something different but it was a gamble. I just hope we carry on like this and people remain interested."

One of the keys to their success is allowing the customer to try before they buy.

"All the products I have got are unknown to people. I like to let them taste and if they like it then they can buy," Ottavio says. "The bread is really popular as there are not many specialist bakers in York."

During my visit I try a mouth-watering focaccia with rosemary, some pecorino cheese, (sheep's cheese to you and me) as well as a selection of Ottavio's delicate handmade biscuits and I can instantly see the reason behind the shop's popularity.

Ottavio also thinks the shop has been a hit because with flights abroad getting cheaper all the time, more people have an idea of what authentic Italian food tastes like.

While La Bottega stocks a wide variety of goods, this is not somewhere you could do your weekly shop. Some of the stock is amazingly indulgent such as a 25-year-old vintage bottle of balsamic vinegar which sells for £55.

The pair are amazingly busy but seem to have a real enthusiasm for their work. "When I get a customer who is excited by everything and keen to try new things, it just makes my day," Ottavio says.

As well as running the shop six days a week, baking their own goods and dealing with Italian producers, they supply food to York cafes and restaurants, including Cafe No 8 in Gillygate and The Tasting Room in Swinegate.

But the couple have by no means finished yet. They are already looking at ways to expand their business. Next summer they hope to start selling ice cream and they are thinking of moving their kitchen off site to create enough space to sell Italian wines that aren't available in the UK.

La Bottega delle Langhe,

20 High Petergate, 01904 622584.

Updated: 18:19 Friday, October 03, 2003