With some time to spare before England’s first World Cup group game against Italy, what better place to go for a meal than the recently opened Italian restaurant Prezzo.

This was one of the first to open at Trowbridge’s £17m St Stephen’s Place Leisure Park, which also includes a Nando’s and Frankie & Benny’s, and was busy when we took our seats.

One of the most impressive aspects about Prezzo Trowbridge is its stylish, contemporary decor, and the open plan design means it is nice and spacious, so you never feel crammed in or uncomfortable.

After looking at the menu, I decided to go with the classic Italian starter bruschetta for £4.95 – despite being tempted by the antipasto for £5.75 – while my girlfriend went for the grilled goat’s cheese (£5.50).

The helpful waiter delivered the two dishes promptly and both went down well. The bruschetta was not the best I’ve ever had, as I personally prefer the cherry tomatoes very finely sliced, but the baked flatbread it was served on was nice.

Emma really enjoyed the grilled goat’s cheese, which was served with beetroot and caramelised onions on ciabatta bread with a balsamic glaze, and I could see why when I tried a bite.

As with most Italian restaurants, the choices for the main course were between a range of pizza and pasta dishes, lasagne and risotto.

As well as having similar dishes on the menu, Prezzo offers several modern twists, including flatbread pizza, a light option and the ultimate VIP version.

After weighing up the different options, I decided to see if the VI Pizza lived up to its billing, going for a prosciutto ham topping (£10.45), while Emma went for the same topping on the standard pizza (£9.05).

We did have a reasonable wait for our mains, but considering how busy the restaurant was, the service was not particularly bad and they were very keen to make sure we did not feel forgotton, the waiter coming over twice to say the pizzas would be a few minutes longer.

They were really tasty when they arrived. Although the VI Pizza wasn’t drastically different to the standard one – it was essentially just a different shape – it did fill me up.

Overall, the meal cost a reasonable £37.15, which included two Cokes and a Sprite, and was the perfect preparation for the crushing disappointment of the game that followed.

* Opening times: Monday-Saturday: noon-11pm; Sunday noon-10pm.
* Disabled access.
* Baby changing.
* Family friendly.
* High-speed wi-fi available.