Lina Stores

Soho

This West End deli introduced me to ’nduja, and for that, I will be forever thankful. It’s the Calabrian sausage that’s laced with dried chilli, roasted pepper and garlic, and spreads like pâté onto grilled sourdough, or turns a basic ragu into a pasta sauce worthy of any restaurant. It’s also jolly cheap. That’s the thing with Lina Stores – it may be in the heart of Soho and serve some of the best dried and fresh Italian ingredients in town, but it’s also keenly priced. I pay about £5 for a decent 250g chunk of ’nduja that will last up to a month.

It’s the decent pricing and Brewer Street location that have in part rewarded Lina with a loyal customer base since 1944. On a street that’s seen more changes to its facades than David Bowie, it’s clearly doing something
right. The shelves are stacked with a cornucopia of Italian delights. From the south’s burrata to the north’s bottarga (an ancient, sunbaked dried fish roe that’s grated over pasta to give an effect similar to truffle), each region is catered for. Gnocchi is handmade four times a week and fresh pasta and bread are made daily.

For media types working in the Soho heartland looking for a last-minute reprieve around birthdays or Valentine’s Day, it is quite the institution. Friendly staff are as happy recommending novel charcuterie for a dinner party as they are thinking up bespoke menus for outside catering. Once you’ve sampled the team’s artichoke, parmesan, thyme and garlic focaccia, a slab of pre-made sandwich will never quite taste the same. MS. www.linastores.co.uk