Takeaway pizza that isn't takeaway pizza

Connie Allfrey takes a look at a new pizza craze that's hitting our doorsteps.

Raw pizza delivery is the new spin on an age-old base, but it seems to defeat logic, as much as the soggy crescent calzone does; Why?

Ordering a raw pizza that you then cook in your own oven promises extra freshness, but surely you can pick one up from your local supermarket and have it in wait, in a fridge or freezer, for moments like this?  

The point of ordering a pizza in the modern age is that all you have to do is dial. 

Raw pizza delivered to your door? 

The new company causing a stir is inspirationally called Bake at Home Pizza and offers quite an enticing selection of ingredients, which arrive sizzle-free. 

You compile your own bespoke pizza, choosing toppings from the menu which include Grana Padano, home roasted chicken, meatballs, crispy pancetta, red onion chutney and thyme in the seasonal rotary. 

The concept is ‘premium pizzas that you bake in your own oven, in your own time’. My issues are that my oven is terrible – tepid and pokey - and is just not going to do any pizza justice. Plus generally when I order a pizza it’s because I can’t be bothered to turn the oven on, and I want it NOW, or as soon as it’s entered my kitchen. 

There’s something about piping hot pizza creeping up the stairs in its heat preserving Velcro envelope, carried by a man in biking blacks that I’m not prepared to forgo for a little freshness. I want the smell of congealing cheese to hit me as I flip the lid, not a cold, pale breeze. 

It is a nonsensical craze, but catching on nonetheless with other companies including Clever Wally’s Raw Pizza and The Pizzamakers; ‘We Make You Bake’. Maybe they snagged on the oven in the kitchen overhaul? 

Pizza delivery sense… 

Pizza has accumulated so much airtime over the years it’s begun to sound a bit dreary, like one of Adele’s well-crooned numbers. It is still relevant though as there is that moment in most people’s week, or maybe fortnight, when nothing but a familiar pizza will do. For that reason it’s imperative to have your territorial pizzas at the ready. 

On the pizza pulse…. 

Pizza East, nestled in a cool, industrial space on Shoreditch High Street, London, was a gourmet sensation from the start, with even the most discerning food critics giving it a thumbs up. A new off-shoot, Pizza East Portobello, has just popped up at the end of Notting Hill’s infamous tributary and it equally hits atmosphere and pizzas bang on. 

I went there last Friday night, managed to snaffle an outside table (joy!) and was far from disappointed with my San Daniele, rocket, tomato and Burata (fresh, creamy mozzarella) pizza. 

The base looked like it’d been lovingly flipped and then sort of squished to resemble a quiche with all the delicious ingredients splayed in the middle. Lashings of chilli oil – eh voila. Unfortunately Pizza East doesn’t do deliveries as every stool, sofa, chair is continually crammed and they need to, and do, focus on the guzzlers in hand, but it’s certainly worth the schlep. 

For the undiscerning hangover…. 

Domino’s; it feels dicey putting this on a food website, but this international pizza behemoth with over 9,000 stores in about 60 countries cannot be ignored. 

It is precisely because of the simple natured ingredients, over-vibrant hues (can tomato be that red or did the compiler slash his finger?) that it is so damn good. This is the hangover pizza you order when you are bemoaning a kamikaze night, or regretting sending that text, email, or pair of socks to the guy you fancy. 

The play-school blue and red colours, the cheapy feel – it’s time to stuff that crust and hit a food coma that demands all energy for digestion rather than regret.  

For sharers… 

Firezza is frisky and fun and perfect for sharing. Firezza serves pizzas by the ½ metre, which means you get more middle, plus you can choose different toppings for each side, satisfying the meaties and the veggies alike. 

For some reason the smaller pizzas never seem to cut it, looking like sad little clocks with uneven bases, so make sure you have a mate or a lover to hand when you’re ordering. I’ve made the mistake of ordering a ½ metre for one and have been disgusted at how easily it slipped down cold for breakfast the next morning. Pizza should be a one-stop wonder – at least until the next time. 

Everyone has their own pizza haunts and favourites – so please share your hand-spun fantasies with us below.  Would you ever order a raw pizza? Or, more sacrilegious to my ears, would you ever order a margherita? 

Also worth your attention: 

Matt Follas’ Pizza Florentine 

McDonald’s replaces humans with swipe cards and touch screens 

River Café Focaccia con formaggio