Sainsbury's Cheese and Tomato Organic Pizza

...Express too).

Sainsbury's organic cheese and tomato pizza is one of the best thin-crust pizzas money can buy this side of an Italian supermarket.

A claim worthy of government actress (sorry, spin doctor) Jo Moore and I am deeply sorry if I have upset anybody by saying it but I can't take it back, I wish I could, and I regret getting caught and...I digress.

Sainsbury's has had a rough ride lately after ...
...rails.

But Sainsbury's is still king of organic foods - it was the first to spot the market's massive potential - and is battling to keep its lead. Its new organic lines are quality because they have to be in a fickle market.

Its cheese and tomato pizza first appeared in the supermarket's freezer section some six months ago.

Amazingly it was priced at a reasonable £1.95, a relief in an industry where an ... more

Heat the oven, take out of box, unwrap, place in oven, kick your heels for 20 minutes, put on a plate, munch away. Smack your lips and wish for another slice.

So much for pizzas, once a 16th century Italian street snack for the poor, now the UK's best-loved convenience food and godsend to parents of fussy toddlers everywhere.

Actually no...as every pizzafficianado knows, pizza quality can vary dramatically (try the awful Chicago deep pan for proof)

But one pizza stands head and shoulders above its competitors in the supermarket (and for my money nearly equals chain restaurants like Pizza Hut and Pizza Express too).

Sainsbury's organic cheese and tomato pizza is one of the best thin-crust pizzas money can buy this side of an Italian supermarket.

A claim worthy of government actress (sorry, spin doctor) Jo Moore and I am deeply sorry if I have upset anybody by saying it but I can't take it back, I wish I could, and I regret getting caught and...I digress.

Sainsbury's has had a rough ride lately after losing top spot as the nation's favourite food seller to bitter rival Tesco. Dollar-backed Asda is creeping up on the rails.

But Sainsbury's is still king of organic foods - it was the first to spot the market's massive potential - and is battling to keep its lead. Its new organic lines are quality because they have to be in a fickle market.

Its cheese and tomato pizza first appeared in the supermarket's freezer section some six months ago.

Amazingly it was priced at a reasonable £1.95, a relief in an industry where an organic chicken will set you back £10 (it would have to lay a golden egg before I'd be tempted).

Reassuringly it is backed by the Soil Association - the UK organic watchdog which means its ingredients are certified organic - have not been produced with the routine use of pesticides or Frankenstein science.

Forget the row over whether organic is healthier for you. There can be no dispute organic food is streets ahead when it comes to taste.

Sainsbury's organic pizza has a nice crispy base when cooked - unusual for a mass produced pizza - and a delicious tomato spread - for my money the vegetable which has benefited most in taste terms from organic farming.

It blends mozarella, the king of pizza cheese, with medium cheddar and parmesan to create a perfect coating which melts evenly and tastes great.Anyway, technical info attack:

• Suitable for veggies.
• Weighs 295g
• Contains wheat and milk
• 18-20 minutes to oven cook at 190C, 375F gas mark 5.
• It can be kept in the freezer for up to one year
• One pizza has 31.6g of fat and 756 cals (very roughly one half the recommended daily intake for women and one third for men)
• Comes in a recycable box.

My only gripe is a scan of ingredients reveals a worringly long list of non-organic products. They include water, yeast, salt, waxy maize starch, rapeseed oil, rapeseed lecithin, and Carnuba wax.Carnuba wax? I have no idea but possibly a glaze for the base. Non-organic water? Fair enough. But rapeseed oil? Mmmm. It should be fairly easy to source an organic version of a common crop. I hope the Soil Association knows what it's doing.

Oh yes... buy some organic onions and tuna and spread on the pizza and you'll be in pizza heaven. Enjoy.
 

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