Butternut Squash

If there’s one ingredient that says autumn, it’s butternut squash. It’s super sweet, and when it hits the intense heat of a pizza oven, the edges catch and caramelise in a way that’s hard to beat. The key is to roast it first. Your pizza will only be in the oven for 90 seconds or so, which isn’t long enough to cook raw squash through. Cube it, roast it with a drizzle of olive oil, then pair it with ricotta and a few crispy sage leaves. Simple, but it works every time.

Apple

Apple on a pizza might raise a few eyebrows, but stick with us. A good sharp apple cuts through rich, salty toppings brilliantly, which is why it works so well with bacon and caramelised onion. Blue cheese is another good match if you like things a bit punchier. Slice it thinly so it softens in the oven without turning to mush. A drizzle of honey once it comes out doesn’t hurt either.

Figs

Figs are a classic Autumn pizza ingredient, and certainly one to reach for when you want to impress. They go soft and jammy in the oven and look fantastic on the plate, particularly alongside goat’s cheese and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 

Prosciutto is the classic partner here, but add it after the pizza comes out rather than before. In a hot oven it often turns too crispy, which is fine, but draping it over at the end makes sure it stays silky and melts into everything underneath. Fresh figs are at their best in early autumn, so don’t leave it too late.

Pear

Pear is a bit gentler than apple, and that’s exactly why it pairs so well with strong cheese. Gorgonzola and walnut is the combination we keep coming back to. The sweetness of the pear softens the blue cheese without it losing any of its character, and a handful of rocket after baking adds a nice peppery finish. The one thing to watch is the walnuts. They’ll burn quickly in a wood-fired oven, so either scatter them on for the last few seconds or toast them separately beforehand.

Wild Mushrooms

It wouldn’t be Autumn without wild mushrooms, would it? Their earthy, savoury flavour and a bit of woodsmoke are a natural match, and they’re one of the best toppings for a white pizza. Try a mix of porcini, chanterelles, black trumpets and oyster mushrooms and whatever else you can get hold of, with garlic, fresh thyme and some taleggio cheese. 

The mistake people tend to make is putting them on raw. Mushrooms hold a lot of water, and it all ends up as a soggy mess. Give them a quick fry first with a small amount of olive oil and butter.

Final Thoughts

We hope we’ve proved to you that Autumn isn’t the end of pizza season! Don’t feel you have to stick rigidly to the ingredients and combinations we’ve mentioned above either. Apple works surprisingly well on the squash pizza, and pear and mushroom is worth a go too. Half the fun is experimenting. So, if you’re planning to keep the oven going through the colder months, have a go for yourself and let us know how you get on!

If you’d like to learn more about the range of pizza ovens and accessories we sell here at The Pizza Oven Shop, or have any questions, our friendly team is here to help. Reach out to us via our social channels, call 01423 608648 or email sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post 5 Autumn Ingredients That Belong on Your Pizza appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.

Ooni Halo Core Spiral Mixer

If you’ve ever stood there kneading dough by hand for the fourth batch in a row, you’ll understand why this one came to the top of our list. The Halo Core Spiral Mixer is a 4.5L spiral mixer, built specifically with pizza dough in mind. That matters more than it sounds. Spiral mixers develop gluten more gently than a normal stand mixer does, so the dough comes out smoother and stretches further without tearing. If pizza night has turned into a proper weekly thing in your house rather than an occasional treat, this is probably the single accessory that will up your dough game the most.

Ooni Digital Scales

On the subject of dough, it all starts with getting your measurements right. The Ooni Digital Scales measure down to a tenth of a gram, which most standard kitchen scales just can’t manage, and when you’re weighing out salt or yeast, that precision changes how your dough behaves. The dual platform means you can weigh your main ingredients on one side and small, precise amounts like yeast or salt on the other, without swapping bowls or resetting between them. Consistent hydration is the difference between dough that stretches like a dream and dough that fights back or tears.

Ooni Pizza Topping Station

This is the one that actually changes how the whole pizza session runs, not just the pizza. The Pizza Topping Station is a row of six stainless steel pans on one folding stand, so your sauce, cheese, meats and veg are all portioned out and sit right next to the oven instead of scattered across the counter. It either makes it easy for you to grab the ingredients if you’re cooking solo, or if you’re going for a more interactive experience, everyone can just grab what they want and build their own pizza! Once you’ve hosted a night with one of these set up, going back to everything in random tubs feels like a massive step backwards.

Ooni Dough Proofing Box

Once you’re making dough in batches (and if you’ve got the spiral mixer involved, you probably will be), you need somewhere to put it all. The Dough Proofing Box (set of 2) keeps your dough balls covered, separated and proofing evenly, rather than under bits of cling film taking over every shelf in the fridge. It’s not glamorous, but it’s one of those accessories that quietly makes every cook a bit more consistent than the last.

Ooni Roasting Pan

The Ooni Roasting Pan is a single piece of professional-grade stainless steel with cast DuraGrab handles, built to take a Sunday roast in your Ooni pizza oven, a normal oven, or on the stovetop (bar induction). It comes with a reversible grill rack and a removable silicone plug to allow juices to drain away, plus a white oak carving board with a tilted surface and precision-cut grooves, so every drop of roasting juice runs off into one place instead of down your worktop. Available in two sizes depending on which oven you’ve got.

Final Thoughts

The right accessories can make pizza night much less stressful, more organised and ultimately help you get better results. Whether you’re looking to improve your dough, speed up prep or create a more complete pizza setup, Ooni has plenty of accessories worth considering.

If you’d like to learn more about the range of pizza ovens and accessories we sell here at The Pizza Oven Shop, or have any questions, our friendly team is here to help. Reach out to us via our social channels, call 01423 608648 or email sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post The Best Ooni Accessories to Upgrade Your Pizza Setup appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.

Except it doesn’t quite do the same job. And the real cost of a cheap pizza oven often only shows up after you’ve bought it. For example, when the metal starts rusting by autumn, and you end up replacing it within a year anyway. So, in this article we’ll go through what nobody tells you before you hit “buy.”

Build Quality & Materials

The biggest difference between a £100 supermarket pizza oven and a Gozney or Igneus isn’t the logo, it’s what’s actually holding the heat in. Reputable manufacturers use materials like refractory brick, dense ceramic and proper stainless steel, all chosen specifically because they retain heat and can handle being pushed to 400-500°C night after night without warping or degrading.

Cheap ovens tend to use much thinner metal, which heats unevenly and loses temperature the moment you open the door to check on your pizza. That means more fuel burnt trying to get back up to temperature, more waiting between cooks, and a lot more inconsistency in your results. After all, it’s not really a saving if you’re using more gas or wood to get worse heat retention, is it?

Performance & Consistency

This is where the difference really shows up on the pizza itself. A well-built oven is designed with proper airflow and heat distribution in mind, so the base cooks at the same rate as the top. Cheap ovens are notorious for the opposite. A burnt undercarriage with toppings that are still cold, or a base that never quite crisps up no matter how long you leave it in the oven.

Learning to use any pizza oven takes a bit of practice, even the best ones have a learning curve while you get used to your oven’s particular sweet spots. But a poorly made oven makes that learning curve steeper and a lot more frustrating. You end up fighting the equipment as much as you’re learning the technique, which is exactly the kind of thing that puts people off pizza ovens for good.

Longevity & Real Cost

This is the part that really stings. Cheap pizza ovens have a habit of not lasting. Thin metal bodies rust, especially if they’re left outside through a British winter. Stones crack. Handles and doors warp out of shape. And when something does go wrong, there’s rarely any spare parts or support to fall back on.

Compare that to buying an established brand from an established retailer, where parts, accessories and warranty support are all there if you need them. A lot of our customers actually start with a smaller, more affordable model from a premium brand and upgrade a few years down the line – not because the first one broke, but because they wanted to go bigger. That’s a very different experience to buying cheap and having to start again from scratch after one summer!

Final Thoughts

A pizza oven isn’t really an impulse buy, even if the price tag on some of them makes it feel that way. It’s an investment in a lot of good pizza to come, and like most investments, cutting corners on the front end usually costs you more down the line. The extra you spend on a Gozney, Ooni, Clementi, or Igneus isn’t just for the name. It’s paying for materials, engineering and support that actually make the oven worth owning.

If you’re not sure which oven is right for you and your budget, give us a shout. Our team are always happy to talk it through. You can reach us via our social channels, give us a call on 01423 608648, or drop us an email at sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post The Hidden Costs of Buying a Cheap Pizza Oven appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.

Understanding How Cheese Behaves

Before you start swapping cheeses, it helps to know what you’re actually looking for. Two things matter most: melt and stretch. They sound like the same thing, but they’re not.

Melt is just how well a cheese softens and goes gooey in the oven. Stretch is that satisfying pull you get when you lift a slice, and the cheese doesn’t want to let go. Mozzarella and provolone do both brilliantly. Cheddar, fontina and Gouda melt beautifully but tend to “puddle” rather than stretch. 

Moisture content plays a big role too. If you own a pizza oven, you’ll be cooking at a high temperature, so a lower-moisture cheese will behave better and won’t leave your pizza with puddles of water, which can affect the dough. And one small tip that makes a bigger difference than you’d think is cutting your own cheese from a block rather than using pre-shredded or pre-cut. The anti-caking coating on bagged cheese can stop it melting as efficiently as it should.

Cheeses Worth Trying

Provolone

Provolone is mozzarella’s biggest rival, so to speak. It’s got a similar stretch, but with a slightly sharper, smokier flavour. Blend the two, and you get that proper old-school pizzeria taste.

Cheddar

If you love those crispy, caramelised edges you get on a Detroit-style pizza, this is the cheese for you. It runs to the sides of the pan as it bakes and crisps up beautifully. Cheddar on its own brings a sharp, rich flavour too, although it’s best used in a blend rather than as the main cheese.

Parmesan or Pecorino

These aren’t melting cheeses; they’re additional or finishing cheeses. A hard, salty grating over the top of the sauce, i.e. before you add the main cheese, or after baking, adds a real depth of flavour that mozzarella alone can’t give you.

Blue Cheese or Goat Cheese

These cheeses aren’t for everyone, but they’re definitely worth trying if you like bold flavours. Blue cheese pairs brilliantly with chicken, bacon or a drizzle of hot honey. Goat cheese is milder and creamier, and works really well with caramelised onion or roasted veg.

Burrata or Stracciatella

This one doesn’t go on before baking – it goes on after. Burrata or the slightly creamier stracciatella is torn over the pizza once it comes out of the oven, so it stays cool and creamy rather than melting into the base. That makes it perfect against something with real heat, like a spicy nduja. It’s a bit of a visual showstopper too because it looks great pulled apart and contrasting with the deep red of the sauce and chilli.

Matching Cheese to Pizza Style

This is really where it all comes together. Neapolitan pizza calls for fresh mozzarella, which is soft and light. You don’t need too much of it for authentic Neapolitan, but of course if you’re a cheese person, add as much as you like!

New York-style leans more towards a low-moisture mozzarella blended with provolone for extra flavour. 

Detroit-style is all about cheddar or Monterey Jack, which give those signature caramelised edges.

And finally, if you’re doing a white pizza, this is your chance to bring in ricotta or goat cheese.

There’s no single right answer – it really just depends what you’re in the mood for.

Final Thoughts

The truth is, mozzarella isn’t going anywhere, and nor should it – we love it! But once you understand how different cheeses melt, stretch, behave in the oven and add extra flavour, a whole new world of pizza opens up. Next time you’re firing up your oven, why not try a blend you’ve never used before? 

If you’d like to learn more about the range of pizza ovens and accessories we sell here at The Pizza Oven Shop, or have any questions you need answering, our friendly team is here to help. You can reach us via our social channels, give us a call on 01423 608648, or drop us an email at sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post A Guide to Pizza Cheese Beyond Mozzarella appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.

The good news is, the problem tends not to be the oven itself, or even the dough or even your chosen toppings. In fact, most of the time it boils down to temperature management and technique that can easily be adjusted. Understanding why your dough is burning before the toppings cook is the first step towards producing consistently great results, so read on to find out more!

Your Stone Temperature Is Too Hot

Most pizza ovens have a temperature gauge which gives you a fairly accurate reading of the ambient temperature of the oven. However, what most of those gauges fail to read (with the exception of the Gozney Dome Gen 2) is the stone temperature, which actually has the greatest influence on how quickly the bottom of the pizza cooks.

If the stone temperature is excessively hot, the undercarriage of the pizza can burn in a matter of seconds. This usually happens when the oven has been heating for a long period or when fresh fuel has recently been added to a wood-fired oven. For this reason, we always recommend infrared thermometers, which accurately assess the exact temperature of the stone prior to launching the pizza. As a rule of thumb, the ideal temperature of the stone should be around 350°C for launching pizza.

Your Dough and Preparation

We mentioned above that technique can have an impact in terms of how easily the dough can burn. One of the most common reasons is excess flour on the underside of the pizza. While flour is useful for preventing sticking during stretching and launching, any excess quickly burns when it comes into contact with a hot stone. This can create a bitter taste and make the base appear burnt long before the pizza itself is cooked. A good way to prevent this is to use a perforated peel when launching the pizza. These allow most of the excess flour to fall through the perforations rather than sticking to the dough. It’s also good practice to give the peel a little shake just before launching.

Another reason dough can burn too quickly is the ingredients used within the recipe. For example, ingredients such as sugar, honey, or excessive amounts of olive oil found in some recipes can caramelise rapidly at pizza oven temperatures. If you’re finding your dough is burning before your toppings have had a chance to cook, it might be worth reverting to a more traditional Neapolitan dough recipe, which tends to use very simple ingredients and rely on fermentation to develop flavour rather than added sugars.

Temperature Management & Cooking Technique

Even with the perfect dough and stone temperature, cooking technique still plays a major role in preventing burnt crusts.

Positioning the pizza too close to the fire can cause one side to char excessively while the centre remains undercooked. Also, failing to rotate the pizza regularly allows one section to absorb far more heat than the other. Turning the pizza every 15 to 20 seconds with a turning peel helps ensure an even cook.

For gas-fired pizza ovens, lowering the flame after launching can also help create a more balanced cooking environment. This gives the toppings more time to cook without exposing the crust to excessive direct heat. This is especially useful when using toppings that have a naturally higher water content, for example, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and peppers. In order for those kinds of ingredients to cook and char, they first have to release their water content, which in turn allows the natural sugars to caramelise. One way to speed this up is to cook off those ingredients first before topping the pizza. This allows those ‘wetter’ ingredients to caramelise in the same time as it takes dough to cook.

Final Thoughts

It’s worth remembering that not all dark spots on dough are a problem. Authentic Neapolitan pizzas often feature small patches of charring, known as leopard spotting, which are considered a sign of a well-cooked pizza. However, if your pizza crust burns before the toppings cook, the solution is usually a combination of better temperature management, improved preparation, and refining your cooking technique through practice. 

By following some of our tips mentioned throughout this article, you’ll be well on your way to making perfect pizza in no time at all.

If you’d like to learn more about the range of pizza ovens and accessories we sell here at The Pizza Oven Shop, or have any questions you need answering, our friendly team is here to help. You can reach us via our social channels, give us a call on 01423 608648, or drop us an email at sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post Why Your Pizza Crust Burns Before the Toppings Cook appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.

For that reason, it’s so important that you keep the stone in good condition. So many people accidentally damage them through simple mistakes such as using water, cleaning them while they’re still hot or taking them in and out of the oven unnecessarily. The good news is that pizza stone care is actually very straightforward once you know what to avoid.

Using Water and Soap

One of the biggest mistakes people make is treating a pizza stone like a normal kitchen tray or baking dish. Pizza stones are porous, which means they’re not just good at absorbing heat; they’re also good at absorbing moisture, soaps and chemicals too. If moisture becomes trapped inside the stone and the oven is heated before it has fully dried, the rapid expansion of steam can cause cracking of the stone. Even if the stone doesn’t crack immediately, repeated exposure to moisture and the changing temperatures can weaken the material over time.

Using detergents and sprays on the stone is another common mistake. Although these tend to result in less moisture hitting the stone, they do impart chemicals deep into the stone, which can affect the taste of future pizzas. Nobody wants their next Neapolitan pizza tasting faintly of antibacterial spray!

Thankfully, the use of water, detergents and chemical sprays isn’t needed at all to effectively clean a pizza stone. In fact, it’s best to let the oven’s heat do most of the cleaning work for you. After you’ve taken out the last pizza, keep the oven on a high heat for 10 minutes after cooking. This carbonises any stuck-on residue such as dough, cheese or sauce. Then once the stone has cooled, just use a pizza oven brush to remove the carbonised debris.

Cleaning the Stone While It’s Still Hot

After you’ve taken the last pizza out of the oven, it can often be tempting to start cleaning the stone straight away. However, cleaning a pizza stone while it’s still hot is one of the quickest ways to damage it.

As mentioned above, getting any water or moisture involved isn’t necessary at all when it comes to getting the pizza stone back to prime condition. Once you’ve run the oven on full power for a few minutes after finishing cooking, let it cool down sufficiently so you can touch the stone without burning yourself. At this point, you can start scraping any stuck residue that might have resulted from any stray toppings or less-than-successful launches! Once it’s carbonised, just sweep out the carbonised debris. It’s also really important to avoid aggressive scrubbing or using metal tools that could damage the surface unnecessarily.

Forgetting About Long-Term Maintenance and Storage

Long-term maintenance and proper storage can make a huge difference to the condition and performance of your pizza stone. You now know to what degree moisture is the enemy, but it doesn’t just come from cleaning. Leaving an oven uncovered outside or storing the oven in damp environments such as cellars can allow moisture to slowly soak into the material. Then, when the oven is fired up, that trapped moisture can lead to cracking issues.

If you keep your pizza oven outdoors all year, using a protective cover is a smart investment. It’s also worth ensuring the stone is completely dry before cooking, especially after long periods without use or after wet weather.

Finally, it’s important to give the stone a quick visual once over to check for cracks. Hairline cracks are fairly common and often harmless, but if you notice anything larger or any loose pieces of stone, it might be time for a replacement.

Final Thoughts

A pizza stone doesn’t need to look brand new to perform effectively. In fact, a few marks and signs of use are often proof of plenty of successful pizza nights. But by avoiding a few common mistakes, you can help extend the life of your pizza stone and keep turning out incredible pizzas for years to come.

If you’d like to learn more about the range of pizza ovens we sell here at The Pizza Oven Shop, or have any questions you need answering, our friendly team is here to help. You can reach us via our social channels, give us a call on 01423 608648, or drop us an email at sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post Pizza Stone Care: Common Mistakes to Avoid appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.

Your Gluten Hasn’t Had Time to Relax

Every time you knead, fold, or shape your dough, you’re building up the gluten network, which is what gives the pizza its structure and “chew”. The problem is that past a certain point, all that gluten development makes the dough tight and elastic rather than soft and workable, and elastic dough just wants to spring back to its original shape the second you let go of it.

The fix is simple: rest the dough! Stretch the dough as far as it’ll comfortably go, then leave it alone for 10-15 minutes before coming back to it. You’ll usually find it stretches much further the second time round with barely any resistance. It’s also worth pressing and pushing the dough outward from the centre rather than pulling or tugging at the edges, which puts less strain on the gluten and gives you a more even stretch.

Your Dough Might Be Under (or Over) Proofed

Proofing is one of those things that’s easy to rush, but it makes a big difference to how your dough behaves. Underproved dough tends to be dense and tight, and it’ll fight back when you try to stretch it. Overproved dough goes the other way. It gets fragile and can tear or collapse rather than stretch smoothly.

The fix is mostly about timing. If your dough’s been in the fridge, don’t go straight into stretching. Instead, give it a proper time out of the fridge to come near to room temperature. An hour or so should do it, but it’s really important to keep the dough covered so it doesn’t form a crust from exposure to the air. 

Hydration Level Matters

Sometimes the issue isn’t technique at all, rather, it’s your ingredient ratios. Standard bread flour with a lower protein content can behave almost like rubber compared to a proper pizza flour like a ‘00’ flour, simply because the protein (and therefore gluten) content is different. If you’ve tried everything else and your dough still won’t cooperate, it might genuinely be worth switching out to a different type of flour. We recommend Dallagiovanna La Napoletana Flour ’00’.

Hydration plays a big part too. Doughs with a bit more water in them tend to stretch out more easily, even though they can feel stickier and trickier to handle at first. It’s a trade-off, but one that’s usually worth it once you get used to working with a wetter dough. We usually aim for around 62% hydration for our dough, which is a great balance in terms of workability and structure.

Final Thoughts

If your dough keeps springing back on you, it’s not a sign you’re doing something fundamentally wrong, it’s just the gluten telling you it needs a bit more time. Rest it, don’t rush the proof, and make sure you’re using a flour that’s actually suited to pizza, and you’ll solve the vast majority of stretching problems. If you’re still struggling, it might be worth trying a different flour or upping the hydration percentage slightly.

If you’d like to learn more about the range of pizza ovens we sell here at The Pizza Oven Shop, or have any questions you need answering, our friendly team is here to help. You can reach us via our social channels, give us a call on 01423 608648, or drop us an email at sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post Why Your Pizza Dough Won’t Stretch (And How to Fix It) appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.

Get a Digital Scale

If there’s one upgrade that quietly fixes more dough problems than anything else, it’s this. Measuring flour by cups (or by winging it!) is wildly inconsistent; depending on how packed it is, you could be off by as much as 50%. A digital scale means your dough turns out the same every single time. It also opens the door to baker’s percentages, which sounds fancy but really just means you can scale any recipe up or down without doing maths in your head!

Upgrade Your Peels

This is two small swaps really, but they solve quite different problems. First up is upgrading to a perforated launching peel. This lets excess flour and semolina fall through the holes instead of sitting on your oven floor, where it burns and can make everything smoke and taste bitter. 

Next up is a turning peel. These are small, round, and much easier to slide under a pizza mid-bake than a standard peel. They allow you to rotate your pizza easily, even in smaller portable pizza ovens. Rotating around the 20-30 second mark is what stops one side scorching while the other’s still pale.

Use an Infrared Thermometer

Guessing your oven temperature is one of the easiest ways to end up with an inconsistent bake. An infrared thermometer takes the guesswork out completely and, importantly, it lets you check the floor of the oven, not just the air temperature, which is what’s cooking the pizza from below. You’re aiming for somewhere around 350°C floor temperature and 400°C – 450°C ambient temperature. Once you know what that actually looks like on the thermometer, you’ll start hitting it consistently rather than by chance.

Cold Ferment Your Dough

This one costs nothing except a bit of planning. Instead of using your dough the same day, pop it in the fridge for around 16-24 hours before you cook with it. The slower fermentation does two things. One, it helps to develop flavour, and it helps the crust brown better once it hits the heat. It’s probably the easiest “upgrade” on this list because it doesn’t involve buying anything at all, just changing your dough-making method slightly.

Simplify Your Toppings

We know how tempting it is to pile everything on (especially when you’re starving!), but the best pizzas usually have two or three toppings, not seven or eight. Good quality tomatoes (San Marzano if you can get them), Fior di Latte mozzarella that’s been dried out a little so it doesn’t add extra moisture, and a couple of toppings that actually complement each other. Less really is more here because an overloaded pizza usually just means a soggy base thanks to too much moisture, and flavours that fight each other instead of working together.

Final Thoughts

None of these upgrades requires ripping up how you make pizza and starting again. A scale, the right peels, a thermometer, a bit of patience with your dough, and some restraint with toppings- that’s genuinely the long and short of it. Try one or two at a time rather than all five at once, and you’ll notice the difference pretty quickly. If you’re after any of the accessories mentioned above, take a look at our range by clicking here.

If you’d like to learn more about the range of pizza ovens we sell here at The Pizza Oven Shop, or have any questions you need answering, our friendly team is here to help. You can reach us via our social channels, give us a call on 01423 608648, or drop us an email at sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post 5 Small Upgrades That Can Improve Your Pizza Game appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.

Igneus Minimo Pizza Oven: Was £375 Now £249

If you’re looking for an affordable way to experience authentic wood-fired pizza cooking, the Igneus Minimo is a fantastic option. The majority of portable pizza ovens on the market are gas-powered, meaning you have to take a gas cylinder with you, as well as all the ingredients and accessories. The beauty of the Minimo is it’s powered by wood, and we don’t mean wood pellets either! This thing takes a proper log of hardwood, just like larger ovens. That means a hotter, cleaner and more consistent fire that lasts for longer.

It also comes supplied with a peel and rake, making it feel like a complete starter package straight out of the box. For smaller gardens, patios and occasional trips away, the Minimo offers excellent value for money.

Delivita Diavolo Gas Fired Pizza Oven: Just £199

For anyone wanting quick, convenient, budget-friendly outdoor cooking with minimal fuss, the Delivita Diavolo is a great choice. Being gas-fired makes temperature control straightforward, while the lightweight construction and folding legs help make it easy to move, transport and store when not in use.

It’s available in a variety of different colours including Blue, Green, Red, Mocha, and Black, and comes with everything to get you started, including a peel, thermometer, case and regulator.

The Delivita Diavolo is a practical all-in-one package for those wanting a simple and enjoyable introduction to pizza oven cooking and an entry-level price point.

Gozney Roccbox Pizza Oven: Was £399 Now £319.99

The Gozney Roccbox has built a huge reputation over the years thanks to its impressive performance and durable build quality. It’s the oven that really got things started for this great, industry-leading brand. As with all things Gozney, it’s designed with commercial pizza oven expertise in mind and combines portability with the ability to produce restaurant-style pizzas at home. It has an impressive heat-up time of just 15 minutes and the ability to switch between gas or wood as its fuel source. It’s primarily a gas pizza oven but there is the option to fit a wood burner too.

Its thick stone floor and excellent heat retention help the Roccbox to create consistent pizza time after time. 

It should be mentioned here that stock is now limited following the discontinuation of Roccbox from the Gozney range of pizza ovens. Here at The Pizza Oven Shop, we do still have a small number left in stock, but when they’re gone, they really are gone!

Gozney Tread Portable Gas Pizza Oven: Just £499

While on the subject of Gozney, we have to talk about the natural successor to the Roccbox, namely the Gozney Tread, which is essentially the ultimate portable pizza oven. Tread was built with adventure in mind and designed for those who truly want to take pizza-making beyond the back garden! It comes in a choice of Gozney’s signature Black and Olive colourways, and a host of accessories to enable on-the-go cooking wherever the adventure is located. 

You can add the telescopic Venture Stand, which is both lightweight & collapsible. There’s also the Tread Roof Rack which attaches to the top of the oven and doubles up as a chopping board, built-in prep area, serving location and a place to set cookware.

For anyone who loves cooking outdoors and adventures, Tread is one of the most exciting portable pizza ovens currently available on the market.

Ooni Koda 2 Range: From £319.20

For those regularly cooking for family gatherings, parties or larger groups, the Ooni Koda 2 Range offers plenty of cooking space and impressive versatility, especially the Koda 2 Pro 18” and Koda 2 Max. They’re the perfect middle ground between true portability and permanent tabletop ovens because they offer a larger cooking area but maintain the element of portability.

The Koda 2 Range also features Ooni’s advanced G2 Gas Technology, which uses tapered dual lateral gas burners to direct more heat across the cooking area, resulting in a stone temperature that’s up to 420% more even than the original Ooni Koda 12, making it easier to achieve beautifully baked pizzas as well as cooking perfect steaks, vegetables and using cast iron dishes, making it a fantastic all-round outdoor cooking option for gardens, patios and entertaining spaces.

The Koda 2 Max, the largest oven in the Koda Range, has the capacity for one 20″ pizza, two 12″ pizzas or three 10″ pizzas, which gives you an idea of the capability of an oven that’s still considered highly portable. 

Final Thoughts

When it comes to choosing the right portable pizza oven, it really depends on how and where you plan to use it most. For example, if your oven will mainly stay at home in the garden or occasionally travel to friends’ and family gatherings, you may not need something specifically designed for off-grid cooking. However, if you enjoy camping, road trips and outdoor adventures, you may prefer a more travel-focused option such as the Gozney Tread Portable Gas Pizza Oven, which has been designed with portability and cooking on the go in mind.

Whatever your style, there are now so many excellent portable pizza ovens available on the market. If you’d like help choosing the right model for your garden, patio or outdoor cooking setup, explore the full portable pizza oven range at The Pizza Oven Shop or speak to our friendly team for expert advice.

You can reach us via our social channels, give us a call on 01423 608648, or drop us an email at sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post A 2026 Round Up of the Best Portable Pizza Ovens appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.

But as with anything, as your skills improve and you become more advanced, you might notice your current setup no longer fits the bill. Upgrading your pizza oven isn’t just about size or price; it’s quite often more about giving you the tools to improve consistency, control, and overall results. In fact, here at The Pizza Oven Shop, many of our customers return after a few years to buy their next pizza oven once they’ve outgrown their first. So, if you think you might currently be in that situation, here are five clear signs it might be time to take that next step.

1. You’re Ready for a Different Fuel Type

Before taking the plunge with a large, multi-fuel pizza oven, many people sensibly choose to start small, until they fully decide that a pizza oven is even right for them. Often, that means starting with a compact, portable pizza oven, which might be fuelled by wood pellets, for example. While these are great for getting started and “testing the waters”, your needs can change as you use it more often.

Pellet ovens can be tricky to maintain a consistent flame, which means constantly topping up fuel and managing airflow mid-cook. They also make it difficult to maintain the high temperatures needed to cook pizzas back-to-back, for example, when hosting friends and family.

This is often when people start looking at gas, wood-fired or dual-fuel ovens, which offer greater control, faster heat-up times, and a more predictable cooking environment.

2. You’re Cooking for More People

As mentioned above, one of the big appeals of owning a pizza oven is hosting pizza parties and showing off your skills! Once you start hosting for more people, smaller ovens can present a challenge. You might find yourself waiting for the stone temperature to recover, juggling timings, or feeling under pressure to keep everyone fed. This is especially true of portable ovens, which often have a thinner stone to reduce weight and aid portability, as well as less advanced insulation. 

Smaller ovens also limit the number of pizzas you can cook at the same time. This is fine if your needs are predominantly for cooking away from home, for example, on camping trips or at the beach, but when hosting in the garden, they can often become hindersome. 

3. You Want Better Results from Your Dough

One of the main elements that many people become obsessive around is their dough recipes. Adjusting the hydration levels and types of flour in order to achieve the perfect rise, texture and leopard spotting. As you refine your dough recipe and technique, your expectations naturally rise with it. If you’re finding you’re not achieving the expected results from the dough you thought you’d nailed, the limiting factor could be the pizza oven itself. 

Higher-spec pizza ovens are designed to reach and maintain the temperatures needed for true Neapolitan-style pizza, with more even heat distribution. This allows your dough to perform at its best and gives you the perfect cooking environment to achieve the restaurant-quality results you’re aiming for.

4. You’re Starting to Cook More Than Just Pizza

This is a big one. As we always say here at The Pizza Oven Shop, a pizza oven is for so much more than pizza, and although many people start with predominantly pizza, they quickly realise that a pizza oven opens up a world of opportunity for experimenting with different styles and cuisines.

If you’ve started experimenting with steaks, fish, baked pasta, slow-cooked casseroles, bread or even desserts, you might find your current oven lacks the space, control or flexibility needed.

Upgrading can give you far more possibilities. Whether it’s better temperature control, larger cooking areas, or dual-fuel options, a more advanced oven allows you to get the most out of outdoor cooking in general.

5. You’re Using Your Oven More Than You Expected

If this one is you, great! The last thing we want is to sell you an oven you only use once. We want you to fall in love with pizza and outdoor cooking. However, if you’re firing up an entry-level pizza oven every week, or even multiple times a week, it’s a good sign you could be getting more out of your setup by upgrading.

At this point, convenience, durability, and performance become much more important. You may start to notice small frustrations or limitations that didn’t matter at first or when you were only firing up every so often.

Upgrading to a more premium oven can really give you the convenience factor of being able to just turn a dial (for gas-fired ovens) or throw a couple of logs in a wood-fired oven and get cooking within a matter of minutes. 

Final Thoughts

Upgrading your pizza oven isn’t just about buying something bigger or more expensive; it’s about matching your setup to how you actually cook. Whether it’s switching fuel type, cooking for more people, or simply wanting better results, the right oven can make a massive difference.

A premium pizza oven from a leading brand such as Gozney, Ooni, Clementi or Igneus can give you more control, better consistency, and ultimately more enjoyment every time you cook. If you’re starting to recognise any of the signs or trigger points mentioned throughout this article, it might be the perfect time to explore the next step in your pizza journey.

If you’d like to learn more about the range of pizza ovens we sell here at The Pizza Oven Shop, or have any questions you need answering, our friendly team is here to help. You can reach us via our social channels, give us a call on 01423 608648, or drop us an email at sales@thepizzaovenshop.com.

The post 5 Signs You’re Ready to Upgrade Your Pizza Oven appeared first on The Pizza Oven Shop.