'I TRIED A £6 SUPERMARKET PIZZA RANGE AND NOW I'LL NEVER ORDER TAKEAWAY PIZZA AGAIN'

Supermarket pizzas come in all shapes and sizes with own-brand, frozen versions often the cheapest option.

But those seeking a delicious, and affordable alternative to satisfy takeaway cravings may prefer a more high-end recipe.

The Crosta & Mollica Sourdough Pizza range includes more than a dozen flavours, available in chilled or frozen form, with everything from a classic Margherita to spicy Stromboli.

Available to buy for £6 at Waitrose, some of the pizzas retail for even less; £5.25 at Ocado, £5 with a Sainsbury's Nectar Card, or £3.75 with a Tesco Clubcard.

Of course, the standout feature is the sourdough base, which boasts "a deep and crunchy crust and generous toppings" for an "authentic Italian taste", but the thing that struck me most was just how fresh the pizzas tasted - despite being frozen.

Best Crosta & Mollica pizza

Stromboli: Calabrese & Ventricina salami and spicy pepperoni

Described as: "A smoky, spicy celebration of delicious southern and central Italian ingredients, the Stromboli pizza takes Crosta & Mollica's signature slow-proved, wood-fired sourdough base topped with a simple tomato sauce, creamy Fior di Latte mozzarella, smoky Ventricina and peppery Calabrese salamis, and hand-crumbled Pepperoni - before a finishing sprinkle of chilli flakes."

This pizza is available chilled and frozen and having tried the latter, I was very impressed. In the past, I have found frozen salami pizzas to be fatty, texture-less and a big letdown (aside from their cheap price). But this stromboli didn't taste frozen at all after it had been cooked in the oven.

There are no additives in this thin, crisp sourdough base and the list of ingredients remains small for the toppings too. This may be the reason for their fresh taste, which focuses on real ingredients rather than stimulating chemicals that make you want to eat more and more.

The taste does that all on its own, especially the Stromboli which, in my opinion, delivered the most memorable pizza "fakeaway" experience. Fellow taste testers agreed that the spicy salami was nice and meaty without being fatty or stodgy.

A rich tomato base, which is used in the majority of the Crosta & Mollica range (apart from the Fiorentina and Regina), can be tasted in every bite and has an earthy richness to it. That said, the pizza felt as though it lacked a sweet edge to it, so I took it upon myself to drizzle a tiny amount of honey over the top to cut through the spice.

Worst Crosta & Mollica pizza

Vegana

The Vegana pizza starts with a tomato and caramelised onion sauce base which is scattered with artichokes, lightly grilled peppers and courgettes, vibrant red onion and salty-sweet Taggiasca olives. A fresh basil sauce tops the pizza for a fragrant finish, but there's one caveat. This non-traditional pizza is made in the absence of cheese, which was a letdown at first.

But the beauty of Crosta & Mollica pizzas is that they're easy to customise, especially the Pizza Base which is topped with "deliciously simple tomato sauce".

The Vegana is a great blend of flavours, with earthy chickpeas and sweet onion to complement the grilled vegetables, but we did add cheese for an extra punch of flavour. After all, what is a pizza without cheese (whether it's dairy-free or not?). It is, however an acquired taste, and the many vegetables may not satisfy everyone's "cheat meal" cravings.

For those who don't like the sound of the Stromboli or Vegana, the Margherita is a classic and the ultimate supermarket dupe for Pizza Express and Franco Manca fans.

Final verdict

Crosta & Mollica pizzas may not have the signature, thick dough Domino's and Pizza Hut are known for, but the sourdough bases are surprisingly filling. What's more, they don't leave you with that overly-full, stodgy feeling many takeaways are guilty of. Perhaps this is due to the fresh, wholesome ingredients and toppings or a mere placebo from the suave packaging, but the pizzas have my vote as a supermarket treat.

While I wouldn't buy these pizzas every week, they're very much on the radar for those nights when you don't feel like cooking but are craving something something much more special than a lacklustre frozen pizza. And with so many options - 16 to be exact - there's something for everyone to enjoy from the range.

My favourite is a popular choice too, according to Crosta & Mollica's marketing director, Dean Lavender. He told Expres.co.uk: "My personal favourite is the Stromboli - it's the best possible version of a pepperoni pizza you could imagine. And you can quote me on that."

He continued: "At Crosta & Mollica we believe that nothing compares to the food that Italy offers up; the extraordinary dishes that have travelled down generations, out of towns and villages across Italy to dinner tables on every continent. When creating each of our products, we crisscross our way around Italy in search of authentic, artisanal and regional specialities that we can bring to UK households and beyond. We work with carefully selected local bakeries and artisan producers, using simple, high-quality ingredients to deliver the true taste of Italy.

"Our sourdough pizzas are a homage to different regions of Italy. Our Margherita will transport you to the heart of Naples whilst our Positano, topped with plump marinated King Prawns, will take you to the Tyrrhenian seaside. As with all Crosta & Mollica products, our pizzas are made in Italy by artisan bakers. The dough is proven slowly for 24 hours using a natural yeast 'mother dough' starter ('Lievito Madre' in Italian) to make it light and tasty before the bakers wood-fire every base at 400c on lava stone from Mount Etna. In the heat, the crusts rise, blister and char in authentic pizzeria fashion. Carefully sourced and selected toppings are then added by hand."

If you can't get your hands on a Crosta & Mollica pizza, you could try Nonna Malfi Pizza Margherita which is currently £2 at Waitrose, M&S' Wood Fired Pizza with Italian Salami & Spicy Roquito Pepper which costs £6.25 from Ocado or Morrisons' The Best Cajun Chicken & Sweet Red Peppers Pizza which costs £3.25.

2024-04-29T03:14:16Z dg43tfdfdgfd