When you talk of pizza in Herts there is one name that comes up again and again (in a sort of hushed reverence) - that is Peddling Pizza. Most people we spoke to about pizza in Herts said Peddling Pizza had set the bar that everyone else was trying to hit. So naturally we wanted to hunt them down (don't get between me and hyped pizza).
Based largely in St. Albans, you may well have seen the distinctive grey three wheeled Piaggio Ape pizza van that Adam Atkins, the owner of Peddling Pizza, operates out of; which he has kitted out with two Gozney Roccbox ovens ready to cook your pizzas. (The bike that lent its name to the business has long been retired, much to my disappointment).
Adam is a Neapolitan puritan, which is great! Which means we're looking for a fluffy raised edge (called the "cornicione"), swollen and free from burns, with the pizza being soft and and fragrant. The dough is proved for 24 hours using just four ingredients (as per the Neapolitan guide) with flour from the Molino Dallagiovanna Mill in Italy, topped with San Massimo tomatoes and fior di latte cheese. This is about an authentic a Neapolitan you are going to get in the UK.
To get your hands on one of these bad boys, you either need to arrive sharpish to the market, or pre-order via Instagram to collect. You need to order by Wednesday to get your pizza on the Saturday. Although you can have them delivered on Wednesday evenings in St Albans, again pre-ordering is necessary. Herts seems determined to deprive me of amazing pizza when I want it on a whim! (Good Fired and Mozzerella Fellas you also need to pre-order).
We went for our standard test order: a margherita, a pepperoni/house special (in this case The Peddler) and a marinara, if there is one, which there was.
We were lucky enough to watch it being made - it was great to see Adam's wrist flick on the peel as the pizza entered its final seconds in the oven. Each flick bought it into contact with the flame, gently charring it beautifully. Still steaming, it went in the box, ready to come home!
The short version of this review is pretty easy: you can see why everyone raves about this pizza. It's bloody brilliant.
The dough for all three pizzas was exceptional - it had a slight sweetness to it, which balanced perfectly with the salt. It was perfectly hydrated, great chew and char. In an incredibly crowded field, this is probably the best dough we have tried so far.
A great margherita is all about balance - no one flavour should dominate. This was absolutely the case here. The cheese, basil and tomatoes were perfectly proportioned to give a rounded flavour.
The Peddler was amazing. It is topped with smokey pepporoni, 'nduja, fresh chilli and chilli honey. The result is another complex, beautiful taste profile. It carries heat from the chillies and 'nduja, but the chilli honey tempers it into a really nice level of fieriness.
The marinara was incredibly flavourful, bringing the sweet San Massimo through with the oregano - again no one flavour dominated. The only niggle I would have would be the garlic was chopped quite thick. Garlic on a marinara should be fine and aromatic, not something you get in one great hit as you bite into an al dente chunk. But that's a very small quibble.
Overall, Peddling Pizza totally lives up to the hype. The things for me that made it just edge ahead of its rivals that we have thus far tried, is the dough; there is something about it which elevates it to another level. Then finally, the overall taste profile: the balance of each pizza was just so impressive, impactful and pure.
Service:
Got to be quick to get hold of a pizza - and you need to get to St Albans market to collect it (have fun parking). Order via Instagram well in advance. Like all the best pizza places we have tried, this is not one for the impulsive.
Quality:
Top, top notch. Right up there with one of the best pizzas I have ever had. A real mix of simplicity and beautifully balanced flavour profiles.
Value & Price:
Basic pizzas are £6-7, with the fancier ones at £8-9, which seems to be the average price.
Overall:
OUTSTANDING- Adam has been doing this for four years now and it really shows. If you want to try what is possibly the best pizza in Herts, you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead, greasy hands.
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