Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza

I recall enjoying an alfresco meal courtesy of Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza way back last summer – a brief moment of normality before COVID reared its head again. It was a pizza purchased at the Peter Street branch then scoffed at a nearby park on a balmy evening and I remember declaring outside is how all pizza should be eaten, forever. Since then, pizza became largely a front room meal, which lacks a certain ambience, unless you live in a mansion in Hale Barns. Regardless, it’s the best we’re going to get for now so let’s get stuck in.

As part of Veganuary, Rudy’s has come up with no less than three vegan ‘bake at home’ pizzas, available for both collection and delivery. Incidentally, as much as it’s worth dipping your toe into a vegan diet, it’s worth pointing out that the upcoming bleak winter months are possibly not the best times to be restricting yourself from all things fun. A dry January lockdown, with no allowance for treats and tipples is going to make an already grim time a whole lot tougher.

For Veganuary, Rudy’s has come up with no less than three vegan ‘bake at home’ pizzas, available for both collection and delivery

Thankfully, this doesn’t apply to Rudy’s vegan delights – or indeed many of the vegan options on offer from Manchester’s leading food outlets. We’ve come a long way from nut cutlets and these days vegan cuisine is often both healthier and tastier than its meaty cousin, so don’t see it as a downgrade, rather an upgrade for the environment and your health.

As for the pizzas themselves, they’re the ideal gift to yourself to lift your mood. The dough is what we’ve come to expect from Rudy’s, floppy and easily torn apart. Eat it like the Italians and fold it half for best results. Then eat it like a Mancunian and dip it in a side sauce (I recommend balsamic glaze).

We’ve come a long way from nut cutlets

Toppings include San Marzano tomatoes, roasted butternut squash, red onions, toasted pine nuts, fresh chilli and sundried tomatoes for the Ortolana; San Marzano tomatoes, preserved black bean N’duja, celeriac ‘ricotta’ and fresh basil for the vegan n’duja; and butternut squash base, roquito peppers, green chillies, tenderstem broccoli, red onions, basil, thyme and pine nuts for the Peppe’s Special. If you’ve not tried a butternut squash pizza before, and love that warm, nutty taste, go for this one first. You won’t be disappointed.