'Britalian' food is pasta joke

You might think the recipe is a tradition handed down from a family living in a small village in the foothills of Italy's Apennine mountains.

But the Italian dishes we regularly buy from the supermarket could be made on a dingy industrial estate and be as Italian as, well, fish and chips.

The mass-produced lasagnes, pizzas and pasta sauces have prompted a top Italian chef to tell the major chains to stop abusing his country's culinary heritage.

Antonio Carluccio condemned the supermarkets for taking liberties with recipes in producing Italian products.

He said: 'Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon, supermarkets have committed huge crimes when it comes to Italian food. It is often what I would call "Britalian" food.' Mr Carluccio, who owns a chain of deli-cafes, claimed that stores sold cheap versions to maximise profits.

He added that Britons had a lot to learn in the kitchen, too.

'The main problem is that people here don't know how to cook,' he told The Grocer magazine. 'They don't seem to learn it at home or at school. Things are getting better but my advice is, if you want to get the taste of Italy, go there!'