I’d gladly ditch Domino’s or Pizza Hut for one of these tasty meals in a heartbeat
As a kid, pizza night was sometimes a rollercoaster of emotions. When my mum announced we were having the savoury treat for tea, I always got excited – until I realised it wasn’t the takeaway kind, and instead was a supermarket own-brand offering.
But, as an adult, I can appreciate how these fresh and easy meals are just as good. And, if you don’t mind the fact you’ve got to cook it yourself, it can actually be much cheaper than ordering a Pizza Hut or Domino’s.
Whenever it’s time for a big family party—or just a simple night in—we often head to the pizza counter. But it’s easy to fall into a routine and rarely branch out from what you are used to.
So, I wanted to see if my local Asda was giving me the best value and experience – or was it worth heading to the next town over for Morrisons? These are the only two supermarkets in the UK that still have a ‘make-your-own’ pizza counter after Sainsbury’s axed the service alongside its patisserie as part of a larger plan to simplify the business and reduce costs.
I tried both Asda and Morrisons – with one a clear winner over the other (for me). I went to Asda at about 5pm on a reasonably quiet weekday – and it took about 15 minutes to queue up and have the pizza handed to me. In that time, I had plenty of chances to look over the offers they had with a £5.98 medium offer, including two pizzas and a selected drink.
The large offer felt like a better value. It included two 14-inch pizzas, two selected sides (mozzarella sticks, garlic mushrooms, and spicy onion rings), and two dips (no drink) for £11.98.
Having cooked and shared it amongst my family, nobody was overly thrilled with the basic cheese feast, which had an average sauce-to-cheese ratio. However, that might just be because it is our go-to—but the Morrisons experience won me over from the very beginning.
I’d rarely shop at Morrisons because other shops were much closer and more convenient, but I might start making a special trip over for the pizza counter from now on. At first, I thought the counter was closed because there were no ready-made pizzas that shoppers could just grab and go.
But, the McDonald’s-style touch screen soon caught my eye, and I began making my order with this, and it also pointed out what offers I could get too. After picking my options, the machine gave a ticket and told me to come back in 10 minutes for my pizzas.
Compared to Asda, this felt like a real game-changer and I can imagine it’d be a real time saver when you’re also coming in to do a big shop as well. I also noticed that Morrisons had a few unique toppings to pick as well like pickled onions, butternut squash, ham hock tuna (what a combo!).
It also appeared to cut down on waste as the staff weren’t making so many pizzas that could ultimately never get chosen. I was worried at first that Morrisons looked less ‘cheesy’ than Asda’s – but I was convinced otherwise once it had fully cooked.
The cheese slices had melted in spots, offering a really tasty experience on top of a really rich tomato base. Even though the pizza itself (£5) was 2p more expensive than Asda, it certainly made up for it in terms of quality and overall experience that starts in the shop.
