When you’re looking for something tasty to fulfil a carb craving, pizza is always a great go-to option. East Pizzas offers pizzeria-quality pizza that is baked and eaten in the comfort of your own home. It’s perfect for those winter months when you want to hibernate and eat awesome fakeaway foods — with no pizza oven needed!
Since 2017, the company has been shipping pre-topped pizzas, sourdough bases and sourdough pizza dough across the UK from its home in Scotland. The simplest option is the range of pre-topped pizzas, which come with a range of toppings, from cheese and tomato to something with a little more zing.
If you’d prefer to create your own flavours, the pre-stretched bases provide a halfway house. You can add whatever toppings and flavours you like to make your perfect pizza combination, but without the extra work of shaping the base yourself.
For the more creative pizza lovers, the pizza dough option allows you to stretch and shape the dough just as you like it. It’s also a brilliant idea to get kids more involved in cooking, giving them the freedom of imagination to make pizza just the way and shape they want it.
Pre-topped Pizza
From £8.99
Whether you like a cheesy Margarita, a spicy pepperoni or a veggie option, you’ll find something to enjoy in the pre-topped range. I tried a selection of flavours, and I don’t know what alchemy East Pizzas performed, but my favourite was the aubergine and tomato-topped pizza — and I don’t even like aubergine!
The sourdough bases were tasty, with light yet crispy crusts and a thin middle that held their own without too much flop when sliced. Each of the toppings was flavoursome and plentiful, with a good amount of cheese that added taste and texture without drowning the other ingredients.
My only criticism of the flavours was that the Margarita was a little bland, with no particular flavour shining through. It was nice, but not outstanding.
Pre-topped pizzas can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Pre-shaped sourdough bases
From £15 (for four bases)
These pre-shaped bases are a great way to make pizza your way, but without the extra work. Take the base out of the fridge, throw on your favourite topping and bake in a hot oven. It really couldn’t be simpler.
I loved the freshness and quality of the bases when they arrived fresh, but found that the crusts seemed a little more chewy when cooked after being frozen for a few weeks. In all honesty, they were still way better than many supermarket pizzas, but the sooner you use them, the tastier they are.
Sourdough pizza dough
From £1.67 per doughball (30 frozen balls)
If you’re short on storage but still love a fresh pizza base, then buying a stock of doughballs is an excellent option. They are available fresh or frozen, and can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
The downside of using the pizza dough balls is that they should be left at room temperature for 5 hours before use, rather than being able to be used straight from the fridge like some other brands. If you’re at home all day, that’s great, but if you head out to work and have forgotten to get them out, it’s not ideal.
I found that stretching the dough took a little work, which is probably because it hadn’t stood at room temperature for long enough. That meant that the doughball didn’t make a pizza as large as the pre-made bases, but did have the same great flavour.
East Pizzas: The verdict
With myriad takeaway and supermarket pizza options available, a logical question to ask is, why would you have pizza shipped from Scotland, rather than buy it locally? It’s a fair question, but the answer is fairly simple. Quality.
East Pizzas aren’t significantly cheaper than some takeaway places, and they are certainly more expensive than many of the supermarket options, but they are quite simply better. The 72-hour proved sourdough bases have a great flavour and texture, and the topped pizzas are flavoursome and moreish, just like good pizza should be.
The dough options are easy and convenient to use (as long as you remember to get them out of the freezer in plenty of time), but the pre-shaped bases are my favourite option. They only need to defrost for a matter of minutes before you can use them, making them quick and easy, and tailored to your specific tastes. You’ll need a little more freezer space to store them, but that’s not a deal breaker for me.
East Pizza products are well-packaged and chilled, and come with free delivery for orders over £25. There’s even a subscription service and bundle options available, so you can ensure you always have great-tasting pizza to hand, ready for those cosy nights in.
What: East Pizzas topped pizzas, bases and pizza dough balls
How much: From £1.67
Average Joes rating: ★★★★☆
