Make your perfect slice at home with these pizza kits from Irish retailers – plus one spot for fresh pasta …
Dust off the Ooni pizza oven! There comes a point every Irish summer when we collectively decide, this is it! The garden furniture emerges, the rosé goes into the fridge and everyone suddenly remembers that they bought a pizza oven during lockdown. Should the sunshine actually cooperate, these meal kits are worth having on standby. And if it rains? That’s what the impulse-buy gazebo is for…
Sheridan’s Cheesemongers
This is the kit for people who believe pizza night is really just an excuse to eat more cheese. Sheridan’s Pizza Night Kit keeps things beautifully simple with Pizza da Piero bases, Janet’s Pizza Sauce and Scamorza Bianco cheese included. There is also plenty of room for creative upgrades from the cheesemonger shelves, whether that means adding Cashel Blue or Comté, or going all in with olives, roasted peppers, anchovies and chorizo. At €16, it is a very reasonable route to a proper pizza night at home, without discovering several hours too late that homemade dough requires both planning and patience. @sheridanscheese
The Dough Bros, Galway
For those who prefer to leave the complicated bits to the professionals, Galway favourites The Dough Bros ship their award-winning pizza kits nationwide. Each kit comes with four slow fermented Neapolitan pizza bases, sauces, artisan toppings and signature crust dips. Choose from options including Proper Pepperoni, Gubbeen Chorizo with Noel’s Hot Honey, Hey Pesto with goat’s cheese and rocket, or the classic Boujee Margherita. Essentially all the fun of making restaurant style pizza at home, minus the part where your first attempt at dough looks unlike anything ever served in Naples. From €45.99. @thedoughbros
UNO Pizza, Rathmines
Rathmines favourite UNO brings a proper pizzeria experience home with its Neapolitan inspired pizza kits, delivered nationwide. The kits include dough balls, fior di latte mozzarella, San Marzano tomato sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh basil and olive oil, with simple instructions for finishing everything at home. Choose from Margherita, Diavola, Pizza and Prosecco, Pizza and Moretti, family kits and even vegan or gluten free options. Basically, you can order everything required for an Italian inspired evening without the flights, queues or pretending you packed light. From €18. @unopizzadublin
Firehouse Bakery, Wicklow
For anyone happy to get a little more hands-on, Firehouse Bakery’s DIY Family Pizza Box brings a taste of their Wicklow bakery home. They provide the important parts. You provide the enthusiasm and attempt not to cover every available surface in flour. The kit includes four sourdough pizza doughs, pizza sauce, mozzarella, Gubbeen chorizo and salami, fresh basil, dips, semolina for shaping and even cookie dough balls for dessert. There is also a video guide to help with shaping and cooking, reducing the chances of accidentally creating something that can only generously be described as “rustic”. From €30. @firehousegorey
Al Dente Pasta Shop, Dublin
Even the most committed pizza fan occasionally needs to rotate their carbohydrates and Al Dente Pasta Shop offers a very worthy Italian night alternative. The Dublin fresh pasta specialists supply restaurants as well as home cooks. Options include pappardelle, bigoli, spaghetti, trecce, ravioli and full lasagne. There are also plenty of shortcuts to a seriously good dinner, from sausage or cacio e pepe ravioli to sauces including carbonara, amatriciana, arrabbiata and pomodoro. Add tiramisu and suddenly staying in feels less like a backup plan and more like a very sensible choice. From €4.95. @aldentedublin