How to become a great pizza maker and champion dough tosser

PizzaExpress was founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot with a simple aim: to bring good pizza to the UK.

Now with six sites in Manchester city centre alone, it’s clearly mission accomplished for the original UK pizza dons. So where better to go for a masterclass in pizza-making?

PizzaExpress offer pizza-making parties at their Corn Exchange and Peter Street restaurants. We went down to try it for ourselves and had the best time, learning every stage of development their pizzas go through before making it onto your plate (or your takeaway box).

First, we sampled some lovely antipasto and prosecco to get the party started. Pillowy balls of fresh dough sat ready and waiting for us in a tray as we were talked through PizzaExpress’s pizza making process, techniques and sourcing of ingredients. Turns out they’ve been buying passata from the same family in Italy since the first restaurant opened in 1965.

We had huge fun learning to toss the dough and shape it from that soft ball into a recognisable pizza base, before adding various toppings and sending it off to be cooked by PizzaExpress’s pizzaiolos.

All of this was finished off with – yes, you guessed it – eating our pizzas. The team also awarded us certificates for best dough tosser and best pizza – both proudly in pride of place on my refrigerator, not to brag.

The team offer different styles of party depending on the occasion, with tailored packages available and plenty of banter to boot.

Whether you’re looking for a fun activity for your hen do, a team-building exercise that gives you an excuse to lob a ball of dough at your boss, or something fun and different for a child’s birthday party, there are plenty of packages on offer and you can rest assured you’ll be taken excellent care of.

BOOK HERE