‘We are buzzing’: Northampton bar’s ‘unique’ pizza takes them to the final of national competition

A Northampton bar has been named as a finalist in the National Pizza Awards 2022 for its signature pizza, the Pitsford Bee Sting.

Playhouse, based in Bridge Street, will battle it out in a live cook-off in London this November with 15 other finalists dotted all over the country in a bid to win the title of the UK’s best pizza.

The annual competition is organised by Dine Out magazine. Editor, Genna Ash-Brown, said: “The calibre of entries for the National Pizza Awards 2022 was so high that it made our job of selecting finalists more than a little tricky.

“But this year’s line-up genuinely is our best yet. The finalists are preparing for battle as we get ready to fire up the ovens and count down the days until we showcase the very best pizza creations the industry has to offer. This is an event you won’t want to miss.”

Playhouse, dubbed “Northampton’s very own funhouse” opened its doors to the public on November 19, 2021 and is renowned for its variety of games, range of cocktails and its metre long pizzas.

The pizza that won over the tastebuds of the competition’s judges was The Pitsford Bee Sting, which is made up of Italian n’duja (spicy sausage), sweet caramelised pineapple, tomato sauce - made from chef Jo Johnson’s secret recipe - and Fior de Latte mozzarella. The scrumptious creation is finished off with a drizzling of Pitsford Hot Honey - a local honey infused with chili oil.

General manager at Playhouse, Leslie Walker, told Chronicle & Echo that staff are “absolutely buzzing” to be named as a finalist in this year’s National Pizza Awards.

On their signature pizza, Leslie added: “We think it’s the best pizza ever and can’t wait to show it off to the judges in November.”

A spokesperson from the competition told this newspaper that judges were “impressed” with the New York City style delivery of Playhouse’s pizza.

The spokesperson continued: “As well as the ingredients and method sounding like they have the potential to be award-winning, the locality of the scotch bonnet chilli also caught the eye, especially as the honey will soon be produced directly by the venue. We’ll see how it performs on the day.”

The cook-off will take place on November 9 at Islington Metalworks in London where competitors will be challenged to use a specific selection of sponsor ingredients to make an award-worthy pizza. This includes a meat-free round.

Winners will be decided by a carefully selected panel of expert industry judges.

This year’s delicious line-up includes Yard Sale Pizza, Fatto A Mano and Santa Maria. The contest will also see the return of 2019 winner Pizzaface - which has branches in Hove, Kemptown and Worthing - along with Zia Lucia, Eataly and high street chain, Zizzi, which will be represented by rapper-turned-chef Big Zuu.

The National Pizza Awards is sponsored by Arla Pro, Birra Moretti, Britvic Sensational Drinks, Fleet Street Communications, J2O Spritz, Jestic, Mutti, Purezza, Speciality Breads and Tabasco.