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A pizzeria has been crowned the country’s best independent pizza takeaway for the second year in a row. Village Pizza Kitchen in Hurstierpoint won the accolade following a mystery shopper visit by the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Association (PAPA), the main trade body for the UK’s pizza and pasta industry. The business , in High Street, received an overall score of 100 per cent with the mystery shopper praising the “unique choice of pizza varieties, the exceptionally warm and friendly customer service, welcoming and inviting premises and the perfect presentation of the incredibly delicious pizza”.
The award was presented at a ceremony (Image: Village Pizza Kitchen) The platinum award was presented to Village Pizza’s owner Jo Malone and head chef Simonetta Held at an awards ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London by esteemed celebrity chef, Theo Randall and Andrew Emery from the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Magazine, who were the award category sponsor. “We are absolutely overjoyed to have won this coveted award two years in a row,” said Jo. “We are delighted to have been recognised for our commitment to showcasing amazing British produce and supporting local producers, with the high quality and freshness of these ingredients helping our pizzas to stand out from the crowd.
” Village Pizza Kitchen was one of five finalists in the Best Independent Pizza Takeaway / Delivery Store category from across the UK, which also included Sussex company Pizzaface, who took home a gold award along with the other finalists. Jo founded the pizza business during lockdown in 2020 after she was made redundant from her job in marketing. The pizza was described as incredibly delicious (Image: Village Pizza Kitchen) Since then, the business has gone from strength to strength, winning several awards, including this year being voted as one of the top ten restaurants in Sussex by Restaurants Brighton .
This summer saw Village Pizza Kitchen launch its first dedicated kiosk inside the Amex Stadium in Brighton, where it serves Detroit style pizza by the slice every matchday. The business’s original stone baked pizzas are now also served in the corporate hospitality lounges on match days. The Hurzeler Detroit pizza special received national press attention when the club posted a video of Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler enjoying a slice of the currywurst pizza which was created in his honour.
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