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The Arla Pro Britain’s Best Pizza competition launched in 2023, with operators across the UK foodservice landscape submitting their best pizza creation in a bid to win a £5K cash prize as well as a pizza masterclass with Marco Fuso himself.
For 2024 the competition got bigger and better, shaking up the judging format with the introduction of two new judges. Elisabetta Basile, an Italian food & drink influencer, joined Marco to judge the finalists based on their use of innovation and trends. Rich Baker from Flat Earth Pizza, winner of Britain’s Best Pizza 2023, joined Marco to look at the sustainability aspect of each operator finalist. After many rounds of paper judging, our three judges visited the three finalists to try the pizza’s for themselves and crown a winner.
The competition has grown immensely since the 2023 launch, with the finalists being chosen from a large pool of entrants around the UK, that were then whittled down through a series of visits from a mystery dining panel. Three main pillars were considered throughout the judging process; authenticity & baking techniques, level of innovation and sustainability.
After being narrowed down to three finalists, Red Goat Kitchen, based in York, prevailed to take the title of Britain’s Best Pizza 2024 with ‘The Mountaineer’ pizza.
The dedicated pizza kitchen is part of Red Goat Climbing Company, a unique bouldering community in the centre of York who welcome people of all ages and ability. Over the last two years they have developed their own unique dough and sauce recipes for the dedicated pizza kitchen, focusing on sustainability by partnering with local businesses to reduce their carbon footprint, even growing their own herbs on the premises.
“UK's top pizza? To say we're over the moon would be an understatement’ said Cameron, Head Chef at Red Goat Kitchen. “It has been a long journey to develop our pizzas to the current standard. A considerable amount of hard work, research, and time has gone into crafting them to a level we are genuinely proud of, and receiving recognition for this effort is an incredible feeling. The aim from the beginning was always to create a product that was both local and sustainable. We’ve always prioritised produce predominantly from the north of England, whether this be our beer, coffee or pizza ingredients. The welfare and traceability of our product has always been at the heart of our operation. Taking part in this contest has been a fantastic experience, and coming away with the win is an achievement we will always take pride in.”
Head judge Marco Fuso feels passionately about the opportunity the competition presents to operators, saying “Arla Pro’s Britain’s Best Pizza Competition is an amazing opportunity to celebrate the passion and creativity of restaurants. Being here for the second year in a row as a judge allowed me to see just how much people love pizza across the country.”
Donna Eaton, Head of Marketing at Arla Pro, said "We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible talent and creativity of the chefs who participated in 2024’s Britain's Best Pizza competition. This event showcases the best of the best, allowing chefs to demonstrate their culinary skills in their own venues. Congratulations to Red Goat Kitchen for their outstanding achievement and for setting a new standard of excellence in the pizza-making industry. We look forward to seeing how this competition continues to inspire and elevate the art of pizza-making."
Arla Pro is brought to you by Arla Foods, a farmer-owned cooperative and home to leading dairy brands. We are dairy partners to chefs and foodservice businesses around the globe. Dedicated to bringing restaurants and foodservice businesses the partnership they need for success.
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