Italian restaurant Lovitaly in Ringwood takes more awards in 10th anniversary year

THE owner of an Italian restaurant that has won a clutch of awards says the key to the venue’s success has been the authenticity of the food.

Lovitaly in Ringwood was named Italian Restaurant of the Year in the South England Prestige Awards, and won Restaurant of the Year in the Ringwood Business Awards ’24.

Owner Cristina Cavalleri, who opened the premises 10 years ago after moving down from London, said Lovitaly offers diners an experience that is not easy to find anywhere else in the New Forest.

“You won’t find many Italians locally serving up food that is this authentic and traditional,” said Cristina, who formerly worked as a chef. “Every month we have regionally-themed events pairing food and wine – our next is Puglia.

“As well as the Italian classics we all know and love like lasagna, carbonara and seafood linguine, we are serving up dishes people have never had before – I want to introduce people to the dishes of my country and I want to be true to those dishes.”

Cristina, who is from Sardinia but now lives in Christchurch, admits that the road to success was far from easy when she first set up.

“I was bringing this concept from London – a deli serving really good quality Italian products combined with a cafe and restaurant serving dishes cooked strictly in the traditional Italian way – to the New Forest 10 years ago; people in the town were initially very resistant to that.

“It’s different now but back then I was challenged by customers who had never eaten these kinds of dishes. I have always been determined to do things my way, though, and to turn negatives into positives, and that finally started paying off, but it’s taken me years to get to where I am today.

“Now we have really great feedback and loyal customers who love what we’re doing here.

“I know it’s hard to believe but people come from London to visit us, having read reviews.

“I believe that when you put the passion before the money and have a supportive community behind you, you always get what you want.”

Praising her “strong” team, Cristina said her trust in her staff has allowed her to focus fully on customers.

“When people come in here they’re getting something a little different,” she continued. “It’s not like a restaurant – it’s like a home, like a family. It has a very warm, very welcoming atmosphere, like restaurants in Italy do.

“That’s what I try to instill in my staff, the importance of atmosphere and that first impression customers get when they come in – it’s everything.”

The team at Lovitaly celebrated the restaurant’s 10th anniversary last month with a party at which money was raised for nursing home Bickerley Green’s mini bus appeal.

“Many of the residents there come in often for a coffee,” said Cristina, who also runs cookery classes for adults at Ringwood School. “This was a great way for me to give back to the local community through a really local good cause.

“We’ll be hosting a little party and cheque presentation here when the money has all been collected.”

For more information about Lovitaly or to book a table, visit www.lovitaly.co.uk