Lancaster pizza van boss in the running for top national chef award

Based in Hornby, North West Pizza travels from Penrith to Blackburn serving up stonebaked pizzas such as margherita, roasted veg and their popular bee-sting pepperoni and chicken arrabiata.

Boss Mark Lunn will be competing as a finalist for Pizza Chef of the Year at the Pizza and Pasta Association awards (PAPA awards) next month.

The company has previously won the Community Award at the PAPA awards for their work in charity events.

And it was also a finalist for Pizzeria of the Year at the Italian Awards 2023 earlier this month.

Mark said: "This year has been amazing for us. It has been an incredibly successful year, and we are really hopeful.

"We started the business in 2019 because both of the pubs in our village were closed down. We could get no food deliveries like UberEats or JustEat, you have to drive to get a Chinese takeaway in the next town along.”

"So, one time we decided to set up a takeaway from our house as a test and we sold 40 pizzas that night.

"We then got a gazebo for events around the area in Kendal and Carnforth but soon realised we needed a van for when it was windy and rainy."

North West Pizza has been to multiple notable events, including Lancaster Fireworks, Festa Italia, Grasmere Gallop and the Wray Scarecrow Festival.

Mark added: "We are up against last year's winner for Pizza Chef of the Year but we still think we have a chance.

"I really enjoy the work as I have a background in catering and have worked in restaurants all over the country. We are having an amazing amount of fun making dough using Italian flour and the best ingredients from the UK and Italy.”

"We are trying to make a better pizza every single week."

Every Thursday North West Pizza are in Burton-in-Kendal, and every Friday they are in Brookhouse.

To get more information and to find out what events they will be at next, visit www.northwestpizza.co.uk