When it comes to food I have to confess that the passion of the owner of an establishment is a big plus for me. This passion was evident at the wine tasting I went to with Guy from Pizza and Wine a few weeks ago and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to the ex-wine merchant on the night about his passion for the best quality ingredients possible. Following the wine tasting event, and knowing my love for pizza, he invited Charlie and I to his shop to try some of his wares.
You would be forgiven for not knowing Pizza and Wine is in Heaton Mersey. Located on Didsbury Road it is a small shop front wedged in between a bookmakers and a local pub. Once you know it is there though, you won’t forget it. Guy and his business partner Henric are keen that you don’t just buy pizza and wine, you experience it. Their ingredients are all fresh and sourced from their country of origin. The Parma ham? From the Parma region. The chorizo? From Spain. The Roquefort and Reblochon cheese? You guessed it, from France. Nothing is bought in pre-sliced. There is no freezer on site whatsoever with the dough and tomato sauce also made on site.
Service is with a smile and friendly conversation from French born Guy who believes ‘quality should not be exclusive’. Every day before he opens the shop he cooks a basic pizza to make sure the oven is at the right temperature.
The first pizza of the day was spot on. The base thin and crispy with a rich sauce and a basic mozzarella topping. I say basic. Like all the other ingredients this is the freshest possible sourced from Campana. It was delicious.
The next pizza we tried is a recipe designed by Guy’s business partner Henric. The tomato base is dotted with goats cheese then a sprinkle of mozzarella before being baked for 2 and a half minutes precisely. After cooking parma ham is ripped up and placed along each slice. The goats cheese gave the creamy mozzarella an extra saltiness whilst the parma ham had been gently heated through from the cooked gooey cheese underneath without going dry and crispy like it would had it been put on the pizza before being cooked. This is an absolute winner for me, I loved it.
To end our tour of the menu we were treated to a white pizza. The tomato was replaced with crème fraiche, the mozzarella scattered on and then thick slices of salmon draped across each slice. I wasn’t sure how it would work but the creaminess of the crème fraiche cut through the fattiness of the salmon nicely.
The prices are reasonable with the basic margarita priced at £8, the parma ham and goats cheese £10 and the salmon the most expensive at £11.50. All cheaper than Domino’s, better quality and Pizza and Wine also deliver to the neighbouring villages and towns including Didsbury.
The chilli and garlic oil is also infused on site and gives your pizza that extra kick if you want it.
Guy has remained true to his previous profession and imports his wine direct from the vineyards in France. He knows exactly where every one of the varieties is from and has visited most of the vineyards with good friends at the majority too! His prices are extraordinary with the beautiful Chateau Haut Pougnan pictured above retailing here for just £8.99. If you can find a bottle of wine of this quality at this price anywhere else I will buy your next pizza, from Pizza and Wine of course.
Huge thank you to Guy and Henric for inviting us to try his pizzas. The are, without a doubt, the best I have tried in the Greater Manchester area. It is well worth the trip and with the East Didsbury tram stop being just 15 minutes walk away, what are you waiting for?
We weren’t asked to pay for our pizzas or wine samples at Pizza and Wine. This review is honest and unbiased.
1 Comment
This place sounds so bloody good! I never discovered it when I went to college there…Fortunatley, probably as we’d have never turned up to class the next day!