A Franco Manca Masterclass

I love pizza and if you don't... well... I don't really want to be friends with you...

Good. Now that's out of the way we NEED to talk about Franco Manca- one of the best pizza establishments in London.

 I am based in Brixton and spoilt for choice by the range of trendy, affordable and diverse eateries the neighborhood has to offer. It was last year that I stumbled across Franco Manca on an (unsuccessful) tinder date. The date was terrible but praise Jesus the pizza was damn incredible. The sourdough crust is amazing. Crispy and blistered in places, yet soft and chewy inside. The toppings are simple, only three or four ingredients, yet carefully thought out and delicious- no Dominos-style let's put the whole freaking world on pizza nonsense.

Now, there must be some kind of secret to their success. You can taste that there's a lot of heart, soul, and pride at the root of Franco Manca and recently I was fortunate to be invited to one of their pizza master classes where I not only got to make and eat a tonne of delicious pizza but also learned what makes Franco Manca pizza so special.

We made these! For real!

As with most recipes, ingredients matter. And Franco Manca really care about their ingredients. Their original starter for the sourdough is imported directly from a tiny island off the coast of Naples, the flour from an approved farm in Italy. The tomatoes and mozzarella...y ou guessed it... are straight from Italy. Almost all the ingredients that go in and on a Franco Manca pizza are carefully and lovingly sourced from amazing producers and it really shows. The beauty is also in the recipe's simplicity. They make the base on site with the starter and just three ingredients- flour, water, and salt. The toppings are also few allowing their quality to shine. It was a true privilege to listen to the chefs talking with such pride about their product and then patiently guide us through making our own ugly ass (yet oh so delicious) pizzas.

Creating a pizza abomination

 I would encourage anybody who loves pizza (or even those who don't and NEED converting) to go to Franco Manca and if possible attend one of their pizza master classes. If not only to eat and learn about pizza but also for a different and fun evening.