by James Freeman
Marzanos. As it turned out, they stocked 'La Bella San Marzano' tomatoes, a brand that uses the name, but does not qualify for DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) status. Dubious origin, combined with only being able to buy in multiples of 18kg, meant that I decided to return to Licata for the tinned tomatoes. The flour had to be from Divino Deli, for the high protein content, and I could not resist their sun-dried tomatoes. As for mozzarella, I see no reason to look beyond the Galbani mozzarella sold in Sainsbury's. All balls of mozzarella come in plastic packets and, doing a bit of research, I decided that the Galbani provided the best value on offer, at £2.15 for 250g. I am sure that the Taste the Difference version would have been excellent too, but it was twice the price.
The only thing to add to this is that, if you do not want to spend the money on sun-dried tomatoes, you can dry your own. This sounds daunting, but all you do is slice some fresh tomatoes with olive oil, maybe a few dried herbs, and leave in the oven overnight, at a maximum of 40˚C.
Fully stocked with the best pizza ingredients, you now have all you need to make the best Bristol-sourced Italian pizza. More hassle than Dominos, certainly, but if that is your pizza preference, you probably would not have spent your time reading this.