Pizza on the go

La Favorita in Edinburgh has launched the country's first ever log-fired pizza wagon.

Tony Crolla, proprietor of La Favorita, made the £50,000 investment after spotting a gap in the market for tasty and high-quality food on the go. He is now taking the van – equipped with a fully-working log fire – to a host of festivals and upcoming outdoor events this summer, including T in the Park, Rock Ness and the Edinburgh Fringe.

He said: "Whenever you go to an outdoor event there are dozens of burger vans all selling exactly the same thing and the irony is they are always busy because there is no other choice for the consumer.
 
"I realised there must be many other people like me that don't want to forego good quality and taste just because they are at an event."

Crolla and his team held a trial run of the service at Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations with a spot near the Mound. The van constantly had a queue and Crolla estimates he sold hundreds of pizza slices in just one night.

He is now planning to officially launch the van at the Taste of Edinburgh event before taking it out to a string of high-profile outdoor events over the summer months.

He continued: "People were shocked and surprised to get such a fresh and delicious meal on the street. They actually enjoyed their food rather than just eating some cheap and tasteless food to keep them going."

There is a one tonne log-fired oven in the 21-foot van with spare logs kept in a compartment underneath. There are also plans for the unit to supply pasta as well as pizza in the future.

La Favorita recently scooped the title of the UK's best Independent Delivery Operator and Pizza Restaurant and the Pizza and Pasta Association (PAPA) Awards which recognises the best and most genuine Italian restaurants in the UK.

Words: Maria Bracken

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