AN Ealing woman has launched her home cooking restaurant on Deliveroo.

Antonella Messina, 49, moved to Ealing in 2016 with her family and launched Mint on my Mind in November 2019.

With its first anniversary having just passed, the Italian expat – who cooks at her home in West Ealing - decided to move her business onto Deliveroo's platform.

Messina told Nub News: "It was difficult to get exposure without a big platform like Deliveroo, so I finally decided to jump on board.

"It was also hard cooking and then having to deliver the food myself, it's much easier now with Deliveroo who send a driver to my house, all I've got to do is cook."

The 49-year-old cooks dishes inspired by Italy and particularly her homeland of Sicily.

She said: "My cooking is inspired from this wonderful island, filled with plenty of fabulous colours, scents and flavours.

"Sicilian cuisine is deeply linked to its territorial features and historical heritage, including Greek and Arabic influences."

The mum-of-one only uses Italian products and actually orders some directly from Italy.

"The pasta, tomato sauce and olive oil that I like using aren't available in the UK, I have to order them directly from Italy and it's worth it because the quality is a lot better," she added.

Messina studied Italian Literature at university, worked in HR and as a teacher in both Italy and Qatar, but her true passion has always been cooking.

"I've always wanted to work with cooking, I love it, I love the creativity I can have with it and I really enjoy taking pictures of food, which is why I took a year-long photography course.

"I just hope my passion for cooking will resonate with my customers too once they taste my food."