“I’m getting married in the morning!...”

The title of this pizza says it all really... I’M GETTING MARRIED! :D (can you tell I’m excited?!) Come 29^th April at 7.30pm at The Roman Baths in Bath, I’ll be saying my vows J I wanted to mark this occasion in the only way I know how – with a pizza recipe! Deciding exactly what to put on it was a challenge though – do I somehow recreate our three-tier wedding cake? What about the free-flowing prosecco at the reception? And don’t get me started on our sumptuous wedding breakfast J In the end, I decided to do a bit of a mash-up of our main course. Whilst the meat eaters get to tuck into some pork with apple cider sauce (a dish that is quintessentially Simon!), the veggies get to enjoy roasted red pepper and courgette tart with pesto and sundried tomatoes (something that’s right up my street!). So this pizza really is a union of two very different ends of the spectrum – and yet something which really works – is there a more perfect way to epitomise my relationship with Simon?!

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp tomato purée

2 pork loin steaks

Drizzling of pesto (the recipe for homemade pesto can be found here)

Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving, remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 210°C.
2. Cook the pork according to the instructions.
3. Meanwhile, spread the tomato purée over the bases.
4. When the pork is cooked through, spread over some of the pesto and chop up into bitesize chunks before adding to the pizzas.
5. Sprinkle over the cherry tomatoes and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Buon appetito!

An egg-cellent pizza perfect for Easter :)

When you ask someone what their favourite time of year is, most people will say Christmas or their birthday – maybe the summer holidays if you ask a kid or a teacher?! For me though, nothing beats Easter. Odd I know, but I love everything about it and feel this holiday is wholly undervalued. Chocolate is in abundance but so too are colours! Beautiful flowers begin to bloom as the dreary winter gives way to the promise of a sunny spring and the hopes of a glorious summer. Baby lambs and chicks fill the fields as egg hunts get under way. So move over Christmas with your turkey and trimmings, pudding and mince pies, this one’s all about Easter and the most delicious cake of all – a Simnel cake.

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

1 jar chocolate pesto (can be bought from Hotel Chocolat)

Generous helping flaked almonds

2 handfuls raisins

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving, remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 210°C.
2. Spread the bases with the chocolate pesto.
3. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and raisins.
4. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. Buon appetito!

Time for Tea

Afternoon tea surrounded by my favourite ladies at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London. Could there be a more perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon? I don’t think so. Especially considering I would dine on afternoon tea at every meal if I could and live in the St. Pancras Hotel if I could afford it! Alas, this is a once in a blue moon experience and one which I will endeavour to savour for as long as possible – so here it is, a pizza recipe I can recreate as many times as I like to act as a lasting memory of such a wonderful day.

To make the base for this pizza, please click here.

Ingredients:

180g cream cheese

Strips of smoked salmon

Slices of cucumber

2 spoonfuls egg mayo

Strips of ham

Dash of sandwich pickle

Method:

1. When the bases have finished proving, remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 210°C.
2. Now, I don’t know about you but to me, sandwiches should be eaten cold. Therefore, so should this pizza. As such, once the oven has reached the required temperature, bake the bases for 10 minutes without any topping. Leave to cool.
3. Spread the cream cheese on top.
4. In one quarter, add the strips of the smoked salmon.
5. In another quadrant, top the cream cheese with the cucumber slices.
6. Repeating the process, add the egg mayo which can be bought pre-prepared in supermarkets.
7. In the final quarter, top with the strips of ham and add a dash of sandwich pickle if desired.
8. Buon appetito!