Pizza Express - Pizzaiolo Specials - Marry Me Chicken [@NLi10]

 Pizza Express at home is quite a fun deal.  Often there are special offers, and with that you get a just about restaurant quality pizza, for a just above home price.

I spotted this interesting flavour - "Marry Me Chicken" - apparently the sauce is so good you propose to the pizza.

Typical professional box and nicely packaged pizza.

And some kind of loyalty for the restaurant app. Nice touch - onboarding but with freebies.

And while I don't want to marry the pizza, the fresh bits are very tasty, the meat luxurious and big chunks.  The sauce could be a little more saucy, but cooking pizza at home you never quite get the heat/time right for these.  

Overall though this (and the accompanying veggie one) were greatly enjoyed and I hope that Sainsbury's still has the deal on next week.

Star Wars - Millennium Falcon Pizza / Hot Dog Stuffed Crust - Iceland [@NLi10]

 In a Frozen Foods Shop Far Far Away...

We wanted some back-up pizzas for the freezer, and Iceland is my go-to shop these days for cheaper but quality choices (plus their range changes so often you don't get bored).  I risked my partner's wrath and chose her a glorified garlic bread, and I had the hotdog crust meat feast.

Shockingly similar on calories too - although the meat edges ahead.

Possibly because this really does look sparse!

(she enjoyed it but all the cheese in the crust is the main event here)

And here's my choice - but why is it Star Wars?

Millennium Falcon Pizza! Obviously this is the bit where the sausage isn't hiding in the crust, but it's a fun bonus.  The meat on the topping is interesting, but really could have more flavours in there.

The hotdog that encircles 95% of the circumference is the main event here too - and it works well.  You can hold on to it safely (the tomato sauce crust is insanely hot for the first few slices and cold an unappetising for the last one)

And surprisingly it's a decent quality.  Yes - I'm sure that they could make one with quality Italian Deli meats - but not at £4 or whatever this is.  As it stands, this is a decent meal for two (I mean - I soloed it but I do like a pizza) with a few olives or a dip.

Hash brown pizza base - Iceland [@NLi10]

 Iceland sell plate-sized hash browns

It’s a slab of potato

Pop them on the messy grill.  Not sure you’d fit these in the air fryer

Small plate sized then

So - let’s turn it into a real meal - a hash browns pizza!

I used a pesto base, and added some Tesco meat circles, and some roast veggies.

Fantastic idea and a nice variation on the usual pizza base, and I’ve been instructed to get more!

Meaty Pizza - Tesco Finest, Franky & Benny + Italian Deli [@NLi10]

 Sometimes I skim through my hard to review photos and notice a theme, or in this case that I've essentially been eating the same thing repeatedly.

This time it's meaty pizza things.

My partner got me this meat plater pizza - and for a Tesco pizza it's amazingly lush

All the right things in all the right proportions and a pleasure to eat.

This was the Frankie & Bennies version - and for a restaurant I think you'd be underwhelmed - but for a chain outside a cinema with the prices and speed factored in this was actually a lot more luxurious than it needed to be - the sausage was a lovely touch.  I'd have it again - although a little oily!

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum this was a little more indulgent and a lot more Italian is the cafe on Bearwood high-street - I even got to watch the meat be sliced off the giant ham.  My only regret was not ordering an espresso macchiato to drink as I waited

Tomato focaccia on top of a lightly toasted base with the smoked ham, parmigiana, potato and goodness knows what else

An amazing sandwich to be absolutely savoured - and definitely an encouragement to walk more to get the 30 mins round trip to the deli and back at lunchtimes.

The best of the bunch then, but at £8 a go (not including the Cannelloni I got to take home and next times inevitable coffee) it'll soon add up.  But wow - so worth it.

Co-Op Limited Edition Chianti Beef Pizza - [@NLi10]

 Mmmm - beef pizza.  It feels like a very American thing - especially the brisket ones - but the co-op have had a different twist Chianti!

It sees some lovely marinated beef on the standard luxury Co-Op pizza

And it looks pretty good.

It smells like an Italian restaurant pizza too - I had a lovely deep beef pizza while in Italy, and these are making me want to go back.

I'm not a wine buff, so I couldn't tell you if this is authentic at all, but it's nice to see a variety of flavours in the pizza aisle - and we really enjoyed this one.

Iceland Absolute Banger Pizza - Hot Dog Filled Crust [@NLi10]

 I was going to save this for the Boxing Day leftovers review - but I found something else!

This was a fast pick-up in Iceland for dinner one night - but when I got it home I realised what a big meal it would be. Three kinds of meat on top and one kind hidden inside.  So I saved it for another day.

And it looks pretty loaded

And the ingredients suggest it's 30% meat!

And it's a long cook too.

But it's got Iceland's typical high quality meat - and was an absolute pleasure. The hotdog in the crust wasn't too odd - but it really retained the heat which means the crust is nice and toasty for the whole meal.

The variety of flavours and meats on offer are great, and it's one of the cheaper pizza they do too so I'll definitely get this one again.  

Urban Pizza - The Pepperoni [@NLi10]

 I added some snazzy pizzas to my Waitrose order this week - and this one from Urban Pizza got eaten first - 

But wait - it says Waitrose on the box - this is a store brand pizza!

It does look very luxurious though so we will forgive them. The meat is very meaty and the dough is luxurious!

And it smells fantastic!  As a £4 store pizza it certainly fits the bill, and the drizzle was sweet and sticky and satisfying.  Will have to see if there are other ones to try!

Chicken Tikka Masala and Pickled Red Onion Pizza (M&S) By @cinabar

I don’t buy a lot of groceries in M&S, but occasionally I pick up something that catches my eye. Tonight was all about having pizza, and there was one I hadn’t seen before. I know the shop is posh, but this Chicken Tikka Masala and Pickled Red Onion Pizza looked next level. There is even a mango sauce drizzle.

I opened up the box and took out the sachet of sauce, which is said to drizzle on cold at the end. I put the pizza in the oven, and I could smell the spices while it cooked. Once it was out, it looked lovely. There was plenty of chicken, red onions, and cheese too. I added the sauce and gave the pizza a try. 

The base is good; it is fluffy and crispy, which is a nice texture. The topping is so good. The chicken is moist, and the spices are perfect. The curry taste is very aromatic; it isn’t too hot in terms of chilli; it is just full of flavour. The mango sauce adds a nice bit of sweetness, and this pizza was a proper delight. I might not buy a lot of food from M&S, but I do have to say it is worth popping in for a nice treat sometimes. 

Lidl Deluxe - Salami, 'Nduja & Pepper Pizza [@NLi10]

 We had a games night and I bought 8 pizza from Lidl, including a few I'd not seen before.  We didn't get through them all so this hid in the freezer for later.

We don't usually get pizza from the frozen section there as the 'fresh' ones in the fridge are huge and stacked - but I went for variety

So far so ordinary!  I think Blogger needs to allow higher resolution pics to see the ingredients...

And it comes out almost identical to the pictures.  I think the oven needed to be hotter for the golden cheese, but for me this is fine.  And as it turns out the variety and quality of the ingredients is great!

We've had issues with the spicy versions being too hot, but this was just nicely warm - and the sausage mix they used had a lovely deep flavour and really added to the pizza.  Definitely one I want more of - a decent mid-price pizza.

It says these are 'new' so maybe they are trying to compete with the bigger stores.  Iceland's pizza selection was pathetic the last time I went so maybe this should be my first choice (even if getting them home still frozen is a challenge!)

Light Bites & Meals out in Birmingham [@NLi10]

 We've been socialising a lot this weekend so I had occasion to eat lovely cakes and coffees while out.

First up we went to Lovelife in Digbeth and sampled their fantastic cakes.  I forgot to get a picture of the Baklava Cheesecake (which looked a bit much for me).

Here is the main display - they also had a live DJ with guitar accompaniment which was very groovy.

I chose the little lime and kiwi tart - that my friend said looked horrible - but then tried and quite enjoyed.  Accompanied by the usual coconut latte of course.

As a light bite with coffee it was perfect - and I was kind of glad they'd sold out of the chosen sandwich because we ate at Coconut Tree afterwards and that was really filling too!  And then we went to watch Muse performed by a string quartet by candlelight in a church!

Earlier in the week we'd been out for Pizzas at my summer restaurant of choice The Stables which feels like it must be a chain - but I've not seen other ones.

They specialise in selling pizza and cider

Which is great as I specialise in eating them!  This is the middle special - a pizza with guacamole and chipotle mayo.  I think crumbled nachos on top would have made this amazing, but it was still good enough that I want to go back for a sneaky second try.

Town is great at the moment for small venues with unique things happening and feels like London without the chaos. A great thing for the summer.

Chicago Town Weekender Stuffed Crust - Salt & Pepper Chicken [@NLi10]

We happened to be in Asda so got to see a different range of pizza to normal - including some more interesting stuffed crust options. 

I love 'salt & pepper' chicken which seems to be the catch-all term for little bits of spicy chicken (even though the salt & pepper batter is really a very specific thing.

Just looks like normal chicken - and the brown blobs melt into the pizza as sauce

The meat seems decent - but the flavour here seems to be all around the outside.

The whole official picture does look quite lovely 

Mine less so - I had it too low in the oven so it burnt the base and that meant the whole 'raw dough' thing didnt' really work.  I know what the pizza itself is like so that parts fine - the new topping though was the interesting part.  It's very much like the Marks & Spencer Chinese Chicken - only with a chilli kick.  I'd have this again - but keep an eye on it in the oven!

Bonus: Cheese

We did have two pizza in the oven - higher up and therefore cooked better was the cheese option

I added herbs to this so it looked less boring.

Lots of colours in their cheese

Reality is a bit mono - but the cheese had started to brown in places.  The herbs really added to the smells here which was nice - but my partner said that it was a little too salty overall and many pints of water had to be consumed in the night!

A good set of options for pizza night  -but I think I still like the thinner bases.

Meatza - a Meat only Pizza from Iceland [@NLi10]

Iceland (the shop) continues to have all kinds of ready meals that seem built for click-bait style reviews.  I think we need a new term - Influencer Fuel? I'm sure I'll figure one out but feel free to add in the comments.

Here we have a Prime example - a pizza with no base at all - just meat on meat with some cheese and tomatoes so your mom will let you have it.

In fairness - it's pretty low calories and sugar (and fibre, and nutrition) 

And it kinda looks fine - like someone threw a mixed grill at the wall?

Put in oven at the magical gas mark 6 until it looks done

In the meantime carry on with Call Of Duty and marvel at all the different kinds of meat they managed to cram in.  It's only roughly 2/3rds meat in fairness - at least 62% if you count the pepperoni and ham 

The rest is the fairly mild sauce & cheese

Looks like space food

And in fairness these don't seem to be trash ingredients

And it shrinks a little on cooking and kinda sizzles in its own juices.  If I was mad enough to buy a 2nd one I think I'd like to finish it off on the grill - heck - precook this for 20 then slap it on a BBQ and you might be on to a winner.

As it stands it's like someone made a meat-feast on top of a big flat burger.  And it's actually quite appealing - if not a little sloppy due to cooking it in such an odd dish

An easy 'meal' to finish though, but pretty unsatisfying.  I resisted the temptation to add bread or veg as I felt it would go against the Meatza philosophy.  I did add buffalo sauce though as none of the ingredients here had any real seasoning of flavour - leading to my assumption that this is for teenagers who refuse to eat food that isn't packaged for manly men.

Overall not something I'd go for again (especially when Iceland's real pizza range is pretty darn good, and their real meat range isn't bad either).  If you have a grumpy teen though this might be a fun way to trick their body into craving vegetables,