FANCY recreating a slice of Rome in your back garden this summer?
Then why not get yourself a pizza oven?
Gone are the days when you practically had to get the builders in with a pallet of bricks to recreate that heady scent of stone-baked pizza from holidays abroad.
Now there are a whole host of affordable and mobile outdoor ovens available on a much more reasonable budget to help you rustle up the Italian classic.
Pepperoni pizza fan Veronica Lorraine tested out five ovens from the High Street – and learned two key lessons while using them:
1. Turn the pizza.
2. Don’t wander off – even for a minute – otherwise you will be left with a smouldering mess.
Here, she gives her verdict, with scores out of five . . .
AT the top of our budget, this is the closest you are going to get to the gadgets from leading outdoor oven brand Ooni without breaking the bank.
Gas-powered and lightweight, it heats to 500 degrees in 15 minutes.
It is a shame it doesn’t get hotter.
It crisps up pizzas in around four minutes.
But it feels like it uses a lot of gas.
And there is no built-in temperature gauge, so it takes a bit of practice.
RATING: 3/5
TOPPERS are tricky, but if you are short of space – and cash – they are a decent alternative.
I struggled to get this one anywhere near hot enough on a gas barbecue.
However, if you’ve got the patience to wait at least half an hour or more for the heat to get to the right level, it looks good for just over £50.
A massive positive is that it has a temperature gauge and comes with a trusty pizza paddle.
RATING: 2/5
I STRUGGLED with this pizza topper – it is not the best on a gas barbecue as the gas could end up costing you more than just using an indoor oven.
But this does have a gauge which tells you when it is hot enough to cook.
It only took about ten minutes to heat up and then around five to six to get the pizza cooking.
Better than the Argos, but there’s definitely a knack to it – and practice makes perfect.
RATING: 3/5
A REALLY good deal for the price.
It is sleek and cool, folds down and is lightweight.
It is gas-powered and heats up quickly.
Frustratingly, there is no heat gauge, so it took a few attempts to get it right.
But once I had worked it out, it cooked a decent crispy pizza within four minutes.
No accessories though.
And, ridiculously, the instructions were on the bottom of the oven.
But great for a pizza party.
RATING: 4/5
THIS was the surprise winner – and not just because it comes with a paddle and rain cover.
It looked good, had a door to keep the heat in, and heated up faster and more fiercely than all the rest.
It has a temperature dial on the chimney, and once I worked out how to maintain the heat for each pizza, they were taking around three minutes to cook.
Online tutorials taught me that wood pellets on their own are not enough to keep the heat longer than for one pizza’s worth.
But add a few blocks of charcoal or some proper kindling and you are off.
Plus it truly replicates the smoky taste of hol pizzas.
And for that price you can’t go wrong.
RATING: 5/5
MAKING pizza from scratch costs less than a third of the price of buying one, coming in at around £1.75 a time, with toppings included.
YOU NEED:
225g self-raising flour
A sprinkle of salt
45ml cooking oil
90ml warm water
170g tomato puree
100g mozzarella cheese
Quality pepperoni and any other toppings you like.
METHOD: Place the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
Mix in the oil and warm water to form a dough ball.
If it is sticky add more flour.
Roll out the dough to form a pizza base.
Cover with tomato puree and top with cheese, then add your toppings.
Pop it in your new pizza oven and impress your guests.
