For those of you who are still reeling from Hugh Grant’s recent bean salad-toss-tantrum towards a photographer outside his Chelsea home - may you gain some solice from the rumor that HG’s weapon of choice just may have come from one of his favorite local suppliers…Luigi’s Delicatessen.

Luigi’s one-stop shop has been open for business and serving the local community of Chelsea for the past 34 years - offering fresh cheeses, pastas and sauces of every type and brand, the finest of olive oils from Italy and Spain, and an extensive wine selection (90% of their products are imported from Italy - the remaining 10% are Spanish delicacies).

Whether you are entertaining last minute - or simply cannot decide what to feed your family for din-din, Luigi’s offers an outstanding selection of dishes cooked on the premises by a friendly staff who somehow seem to know all their customers by name.

Luigi’s daily specials are a revolving variation of: homemade lasagna, risottos, roasted and stuffed chickens, meatballs, and soups. Each dish du jour is determined by the fresh produce of that season, and is accompanied by a robust salad and vegetables. Note…Luigi’s regular customers claim the Gazpacho is “world class!”

Here’s a tip - want to prepare a quick meal but make it look like you slaved the entire afternoon? Try Luigi’s breaded veal Milanese. Simply fry each patty on both sides in a little olive oil, served on a bed of rucola salad and a wedge of fresh lemon, and viola!!

For me, what sets Luigi’s apart from other delicatessens is its old world charm. The friendly service and clientele chitchat in their native tongue (Italian, Spanish or Portuguese) is just the icing on the cake.

So, next time you dread slogging your bum to the local M&S for another qwikie dinner fix and are feelin’ like a little Italiano, wend your way to Fulham Road and try one of Luigi’s daily offerings and tell Hugh I’ve been meaning to get back to him - then DUCK!!