Slice of Heaven
BBQ picks a magnificent seven, immersed in the world of pizza, to talk us through their favourite toppings, people and places - and how to raise your game.
Witt
Geoff Johnson - UK sales director
Top topping:
When it comes to topping off the perfect pizza, the key is balance. A harmonious combination of flavours and textures can elevate a simple pizza to culinary greatness. One top topping that never fails to impress is the classic Margherita, pairing vibrant homemade tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella, and fragrant basil leaves.
Top tip:
Invest in high-quality ingredients, from the flour for the dough to the tomatoes for the sauce. Ensure your pizza oven is properly preheated and use a pizza peel for easy transfer. It makes all the difference and allows you to achieve crispy leopard spotted crusts and melty cheese perfection.
It shouldn’t work, but it does:
The dessert pizza may seem unconventional, but when executed properly, it can be a delightful surprise for the taste buds. Picture a thin, crispy crust topped with Nutella, fresh strawberries, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Top pizza person:
Michele Pascarella, a maestro of pizza whose culinary journey began in the heart of Naples, Italy. Michele’s commitment to excellence and innovation has earned him recognition as one of the best pizza chefs in the world. He brings a slice of authentic Italian flavour to every pizza he creates.
Top pizza place:
Nestled in the heart of Brooklyn, New York, is Juliana’s Pizza, a timeless institution renowned for its classic New York style pies. Founded by pizza legend Patsy Grimaldi, Juliana’s continues to delight locals and tourists alike with its thin, crispy crusts and generous toppings. The bustling atmosphere and aroma of freshly baked pizza make it a must-visit destination for pizza lovers. There is always a queue, but it’s worth the wait.
What makes your ovens so special?
At Witt UK, we believe in pushing the boundaries of outdoor cooking innovation, our ETNA Rotante pizza oven embodies that philosophy. Its rotating cooking surfaces ensure even heat distribution and perfectly cooked pizzas.
Combining sleek Scandinavian design (Witt is a Danish brand) with Italian cooking, its rotating pizza stone and secondary under-stone burner ensure 360 degrees of perfectly cooked toppings and crispy crusts, all in less 60 seconds.
What’s next for pizza?
We are excited to explore new frontiers in pizza oven technology. From enhanced cooking capabilities to eco-friendly fuel options, I think we will be seeing some innovative products that inspire creativity.
Butchers Yard Live Fire Cooking School
Ethan Waller
Top topping:
Fior di latte mozzarella, a san marzano tomato base and thick-cut chorizo, drizzled with hot honey. This was a staple with my first pizza business and it’s now my go-to when I’m making pizza at home.
Top tip:
Make a garlic butter, then just as that pizza is coming to the end of its cook, take it out and brush the crust with the garlic butter. Put it back to let it melt. Instantly elevates any pizza.
Oli Nesbitt and his mother Santina
What’s next for pizza?
I think making pizza is more accessible now that it ever has been. The introduction of small, portable ovens have really opened it up. The sticking blocks I’ve seen are from the rolling out process. I reckon if someone could invent a fool proof tool to stretch dough in the Neapolitan fashion - where you keep the air in the crust - that would change the game. Otherwise it takes some real practice to perfect.
Nona in Brussels
Chorizo Honey
Garlic butter edge
Top pizza person:
Oli Nesbitt. He’s the owner of Santina’s Pizza in Northamptonshire and I’m huge fan of his work. It’s a family run business with dough and sauce recipes passed down through generations, and they are nothing short of phenomenal. Also, he’s one of the best blokes around, so always a pleasure to chat all things food.
Top pizza place:
A restaurant in Brussels called Nona that served Neapolitan pizzas. Honestly, they might be the best I’ve had in my life. Incredibly simple but exceptional pizzas.
Ethan Waller
It shouldn’t work, but it does:
Welsh Rarebit. You normally have it on toast, so why not just replace that carb for a light fluffy pizza dough? If I have leftover doughs from the night before, you best believe this will be my breakfast.
Top pizza person:
Oli Nesbitt. He’s the owner of Santina’s Pizza in Northamptonshire and I’m huge fan of his work. It’s a family run business with dough and sauce recipes passed down through generations, and they are nothing short of phenomenal. Also, he’s one of the best blokes around, so always a pleasure to chat all things food.
DeliVita
Joe Formisano - Founder
Top topping:
My favourite topping on a pizza is a good old-fashioned homemade marinara sauce, using olive oil, onion, garlic clove, fresh oregano and chopped tomatoes.
Top tip:
Share. Pizzas always taste better when shared with family and friends, turning your back garden feasts into a fine-dining experience. And don’t forget to keep a few slices back for the chef.
It shouldn’t work but it does:
Don’t judge, but we are big fans of sweet pizzas. A steak cooked in the DeliVita oven, followed by a sweet pizza with raspberries and strawberries.
Top pizza person:
This has to be our incredible brand ambassador Marco Biasetti. Not only are his recipes delicious, but Marco is so inspiring he can encourage anyone to get into outdoor cooking.
Marco Biasetti
Top pizza place:
Devour near Holmfirth in West Yorkshire. The restaurant is keeping traditional wood-fired cooking alive with its ovens, and, just like our dough, their dough is rested and proved over a 72-hour period. Our favourite pizza on Devour’s current seasonal menu is La Margherita.
What makes your ovens so special?
Our traditional clay ovens, akin to those found in top pizzerias worldwide, weigh only 30kg, making them exceptionally lightweight and they can be placed on any surface. These eco-friendly ovens run on a mere 50p for over three and a half hours and heat up in just 25 minutes. Even after the fire fades, they retain heat for over two and a half hours, ideal for slow cooking and bread baking. Backed by a lifetime warranty, each oven is handmade in Yorkshire using premium materials.
What’s next for pizza?
We’ve seen the market change a lot in the last five years, with designs being improved and built upon. People want something that is not only functional, but beautiful for their gardens and outdoor kitchens.
Love Logs
Paul Strachan - Co-founder
Top topping:
I haven’t got a favourite single topping, but my perfect pizza has the classic combination of heat, sweet and salty – think cured spicy meats such as chorizo or nduja, with sweetness provided by sweet peppers or hot honey.
Top tip:
You need to see making pizza as a learned skill that you need to invest in. I see so many people struggling after a few attempts, and growing frustrated, but you wouldn’t expect to be great at anything else without practice, so why making pizza? Watch videos to pick up tips, which is why we’ve focused our social media platforms on education.
It shouldn’t work but it does:
I have to admit I’m a pineapple on pizza guy, and for me anything goes. I’m not Italian and I’m not selling my pizzas, so why shouldn’t I put whatever I want on them? I don’t know why people get so offended by a single topping. So, I don’t personally find anything that contentious – just get out there, make pizza and enjoy it.
Paul Strachan
Top pizza person:
Sean Sullivan in Massachusetts, USA, who we have started working with. Sean’s social media has exploded recently and it’s very well deserved. It’s down to his passion for amazing pizza and for playing with flavours.
Top pizza place:
Dough & Oil in our hometown of Shrewsbury. Having an awesome pizzeria on the doorstep has been a real treat after years of having to travel quite far for a good pizza that I didn’t make myself.
What’s next for pizza?
The market has clearly grown very quickly, and we’ve started to see more competition with lots of new brands popping up with small pizza ovens, but I don’t really feel there’s much need for innovation in the wood-fired oven market. The cheaper end of the market is very interesting to watch, with new brands challenging some of the market leaders with lower price points. Our business, as a specialist supplier of sustainable British fuels including wood and charcoal, was founded to help people get the exact size of wood needed and delivered quickly.
Village Pizza Kitchen
Jo Malone - Founder
Top topping:
My favourite topping is Blue Clouds, a hand-crafted blue cheese produced locally in Balcombe, West Sussex. Similar in style to a creamy gorgonzola, Blue Clouds works especially well on our Rox Star pizza, which features homemade meatballs, green peppers, Kalamata olives and parmesan.
Top tip:
When it comes to stretching your pizza dough, your secret weapon is semolina. Whether it is fine or coarse semolina is down to personal preference, but it will really help to stop your dough from sticking to both the counter and peel.
It shouldn’t work, but it does:
Our Ello Dahling vegan pizza special is probably one of our most unusual creations, but is absolutely delicious. It is made with a lentil dahl base, beer battered cauliflower bhajis, mango chutney and onions sauteed with black Kalamata olives and capers, topped with a vegan mint dressing and fresh coriander.
Jo Malone
Top pizza person:
Our head chef, Simonetta Held, has been with us from the start in 2020. She has a genuine passion for pizza and is on a constant quest to learn and develop new recipes and techniques. She was runner up in National Pizza Chef of the Year in 2022 and a finalist last year.
What’s next for pizza?
There is an amazing community of both professional and amateur pizza makers in the UK, many of whom, like myself, set up pizza businesses as a result of the pandemic. There feels as though there is a big shift towards innovation in the industry, in terms of recipes, techniques and toppings. There is quite a bit of influence from the USA at the moment, with a focus on New York- and Detroit style-pizza and some very cool stuff happening. It’s a really exciting time to be a part of the UK pizza scene.
Top pizza place:
I have to say Village Pizza Kitchen in Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex! But I do genuinely believe our pizzas are pretty special and last year VPK was crowned Britain’s Best Independent Pizza Takeaway & Delivery Store by the industry body, The Pizza, Pasta & Italian Food Association. Almost all our key ingredients are homegrown. Much of our meat and charcuterie is from nearby Ashurst and almost all of our cheeses are British, with many being made locally in Sussex. We make virtually everything from scratch, including our dough and pizza sauce, also many of our toppings, as well as the pasta dishes and puddings.
In the pizzeria, we rely heavily on our Cuppone Donatello electric double deck ovens, while for smaller outdoor events we have the Vulcan+ wood-fired oven in Little Pizza Kitchen, our converted horsebox. For large-scale events, we have four Effeuno pizza ovens, perfect for our new Detroit-style pizza offering.
Simonetta Held
Ooni
Kristian Tapaninaho - Founder
Top topping:
When cooking at home, my go-to pizza is a Napoletana, topped with capers, olives, anchovies, marinara sauce, basil and sliced garlic. I like to cook my pizzas for around three or three and a half minutes – somewhere between a Neapolitan and New York-style pizza.
Top tip:
Like all cooking, the most important factors are temperature and time. If cooking a thin pizza quickly, aim for a higher temperature and reduce the amount of time in the oven. For thicker pizza and other dishes, reduce the temperature and increase the time so that the base cooks through without burning. One of the joys of making pizza is the endless range of styles to experiment with. Try a New York-style pizza on a lower, slower bake for a crispier base, or use a pan to try a fluffy, light, Sicilian-style pizza.
It shouldn’t work, but it does:
Sweet pudding pizzas break all the rules in the best way possible. We have a variety of sweet recipes, including an indulgent s’mores pizza. If you’re feeling adventurous, try combining savoury and sweet, like ham and pineapple, or nectarine and prosciutto.
Top pizza person:
I’m a huge fan of Gill Meller. Renowned as an award-winning chef, food stylist, and author, Gill has served as the head chef of River Cottage HQ for many years. We’re working closely with him for some of our upcoming projects.
Kristian Tapaninaho
Top pizza place:
One of my top picks for dining in Italy is Pepe in Grani, Caiazzo just outside Naples. It’s an ideal spot for gathering with friends or family to savour Neapolitan-style pizzas or deep-fried variations.
In the US, I’d recommend Zuppardi’s Apizza in New Haven, Connecticut. For artisanal dough, look no further than Robert’s Pizza and Dough Company in Chicago and, for an array of styles and ovens, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco is unmatched.
What makes your ovens so special?
As the creator of the world’s first portable wood-pellet fired pizza oven, I take great pride in Ooni’s journey. We’ve earned multiple awards and established ourselves as a leader in the pizza oven category.
What’s next for pizza?
Our latest launch is the Koda 2 Max, our largest and most advanced pizza oven to date. It is a 24-inch gas-powered pizza oven with innovative dual-zone cooking function, whereby two independently controlled gas burners allow for multiple pizza styles to be cooked simultaneously at a range of temperatures. For example, you can quickly fire a Neapolitan-style one side, while baking a Detroit a little lower and slower on the other.
Banhoek Chilli Oil
Ken Kinsey-Quick - Founder
Top topping:
Anything which includes Banhoek Chilli Oil! After more than 60 different combinations of various chilli types and edible oils, Banhoek Chilli Oil, The Original, was born in South Africa. The sun-ripened chillies grow in Fynbos nurtured soils, famous for Rooibos tea and Stellenbosch wines.
It shouldn’t work, but it does:
I love a surf and turf pizza. BBQ grilled steak, grilled prawns, parmesan and chilli oil are a dream combination.
Top pizza person:
Our resident pizza maker at Banhoek and co-founder Adi Meintjes. We also work with some great influencers in the UK, including The Pizza Pilot and Dough and Behold.
Ken Kinsey-Quick
Top pizza place:
Homeslice, with three branches in London, and all stocking Banhoek. They make delicious wood-fired 20-inch pizzas with fresh seasonal ingredients.
What’s next for pizza?
Chilli-infused pizza has a history as old as pizza itself. Ancient Romans sprinkled crushed chilli peppers on their flatbreads, a precursor to the modern pizza we know and love. We dream of becoming a household name so everyone can drizzle our oil over their favourite pizza and other dishes.
