Sold and sold!

For a while now I've had a hankering for a proper bread or pizza oven in my back garden to complete my life-long quest for pizza perfection. Last Saturday, to celebrate the return of Doctor Who, it was of course pizza night in our house, and I happen to have made three in a row that were absolute crackers, with a brilliantly crisp crust and the best toppings (in one case, cream, bacon, onions, pineapple, olives, mozza).

There's nothing like the crust you get when you use fresh yeast, as opposed to the sachet kind. It's a whole different - and much faster - ball-game. There have been occasions when I've badly underestimated how long the dough takes to rise with sachet yeast, so I've ended up feeling rushed and hassled, with starving kids and spouse. With fresh yeast (that is, fresh yeast), the dough rises brilliantly, and the rolled out base will continue to rise quickly, so you can shove it in the oven immediately.*

Just recently, my kids have grown fond of a topping that includes potatoes, cream, cheese, and lardons/bacon, which is the kind of topping we regularly get at La Martina in Plancher Bas. You pre-cook the potatoes, sliced or cubed finely, and sprinkle them on the top as you would any other topping.

Verily, it is good, but how much better could it be if I had one of these Blistering Beehive Ovens? Fan-bloody-tastic! £370 for the large size, plus £120 for the stand, £17 for the cover, and £19 for a paddle. That's five hundred and twenty six english poinds.

Shite! A lot of money, but it has to be done. She will be mine, and then you will smell my delicious pizza concoctions for miles around.

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Here's a tip (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Whereas Sainsbury's charge you for fresh yeast in 50g quantities (about 38 pence), Tesco just give you a great lump of it for free. Free! Now that's a freakin' bargain!