The nation’s most iconic pizzeria brand, PizzaExpress, is bringing even more of its iconic flavours to the chilled pizza aisles this autumn, with the introduction of its brand-new Specials range – including the best-in-market Margherita Speciale which outperformed all competition in blind tastings – with 80% of those who tasted the pizza stating they would choose the brand’s Margherita Speciale.
Whether it’s pizza night with family, friends’ night in, or a solo treat, the new range, landing from 24th September, is designed to evoke a genuine PizzaExpress restaurant experience at home and consists of four pizzas, all on a new 11” base: the Margherita Speciale, Pollo Ad Astra, Pollo American and Quattro Carne.
Already the nation’s number one chilled pizza brand*, the Specials range by PizzaExpress promises to elevate the at-home experience of its quality flavours more than ever, as Brits turn away from takeaway and towards ‘fakeaways’, according to GWI data*. Featuring a hand-stretched Neapolitan-style dough, which is wood fired on lava stones from Mount Etna and hand-topped in the UK with a restaurant-inspired sauce of crushed tomatoes and basil, the range consists of:
- Margherita Speciale – This elevated twist on a classic features creamy Italian mozzarella pearls, basil pesto and semi-dried tomatoes and came out on top in recent taste testing with customer saying they would choose this recipe over any other Margherita in the supermarket*.
- Pollo Ad Astra – A long standing restaurant favourite this pizza is topped with deliciously succulent Cajun spiced chicken, chunky sweet red peppers and red onion, this pizza is beloved in restaurants – and supermarket shoppers can now enjoy it at home too.
- Pollo American – A twist on the nation’s favourite ‘American’ featuring PizzaExpress’ iconic pepperoni, and then topped with marinated smoky chicken and red onion.
- Quattro Carne -Taking inspiration from the popular pizza introduced in restaurants earlier this year, the Quattro Carne highlights what sets apart PizzaExpress’ retail range: bringing restaurant pizzas literally to the shelves of the supermarket. Set to be a favourite, this creation features Calabrian ‘Nduja, Salsiccia Picante, Napoli Salami and Italian Pepperoni – all named Italian meats which are big trends at the moment.
Richard Mills, PizzaExpress Retail Director said, “We know our pizza fans want more of the PizzaExpress restaurant experience at home – and the Specials range delivers exactly that. From our new Margherita Speciale which was a standout favourite in recent taste testing, to the Quattro Carne which we know is already a cult fan favourite, this range is closer to restaurants than ever before. Whether it’s date night, pizza night, movie night or simply a night in, these are the pizzas to deliver it.”
As Google searches for ‘oven pizza’ show a 10% increase year on year, and the humble Margherita pizza ranks as the second most famous food among Brits (YouGov), PizzaExpress’ chilled range promises something for all dine-in occasions, whether you want to elevate a cosy night in or impress your new flatmates during Freshers Week.
And it wouldn’t be a PizzaExpress launch without a shoutout to its most iconic creation – Dough Balls. Beloved across the nation as golden balls of fluffy dough, laden in garlic butter, a new variation, Hot Honey Dough Balls, are also set to join the chilled range. Each pack features eight classic Dough Balls, coated in garlic butter, and designed to be drizzled with sweet, spicy hot honey for the perfect finish. Pizza nights at home just levelled up with this new addition!
As if that wasn’t enough to get fans racing to the chilled aisle, the American Hot – officially the nation’s favourite pizza* – is making its way to the ever-popular 9” Classic range, sitting alongside Sloppy Giuseppe, Classic Margherita, and supermarket-exclusive Hawaiian.
The refreshed PizzaExpress range lands in chilled aisles nationwide from September. To find out more, visit www.pizzaexpress.com/cook-at-home/specials-range.
