I’d seen a Instagram post about local pizzeria, Good Fired Pizza. When I say pizzeria, it was more of a pizza tent. A gazebo housing pizza ovens and two enterprising young people.
James Woodley and Grace Surman moved to Park Street, Hertfordshire from South London at the start of the first lockdown. (Grace did her teacher training at JFS so some may know her from there.)
The dearth of local takeaways compared with their previous neck of the woods was an eye opener. So they took matters into their own hands and invested in a pizza oven. As a student, James had spent time as a pizza chef at gastropub, The Liberty, in Borough, so he knows his way around a ball of dough.
Well, he thought he did. When I spoke to him he told me that once he got started, he found a wealth of online expertise out there — whole forums of pizza makers.
He has since perfected his techniques, giving his low-yeast dough a long fermentation which he told me gives a lighter dough and more flavour to his Neapolitan-style pizzas.
His toppings are mostly from an Italian importer but he picks up the odd tasty treat when at his day job (working for Southwark Council’s Children’s Services department) near Borough Market and its tasty treats.
Anyway, cutting to the chase – he and Grace are purveying their pizzas in Park Street. (Sorry - got a bit carried away with my alliteration)
And the pizza is amazing. Even picked up and driven home (albeit only a couple of minutes) as opposed to eaten on site, (not that I wasn't desperate to) it was double delicious. Crunchy and chewy in all the right places. We ate every, last, crumb.
I'm even wrestling with myself in sharing this tasty secret in case you eat it all up. The menu is small, but perfectly formed. We tasted a Marinara and Margeritas - definitely the queen of pizzas - but I have a Funghi in mind for this weekend. (That was not intended as a pun.)
If you must, you can order your own via Instagram or by calling 07947 880 189.
