Tesco has launched the Craft range of pizzas and pinsas to showcase the quality of frozen options. But do they live up to the hype? We put them to the test.
The Bold Claim
Craft claims its pizza is 'expertly crafted to be the best frozen pizza on the planet'. With a Takeaway Cheese Feast and a Thin Crust BBQ Meat Feast, I heated my oven to 200°C and baked them for 12-14 minutes. I also tried the smaller pinsas in Garlic Cheese and Meatball Marinara.
What is a Pinsa?
As a keen baker, I was unfamiliar with pinsa. A quick search reveals pinsa Romana is a flatbread similar to pizza, popular in Italy. Its name comes from the Latin 'pinsere', meaning to stretch. It is more oval-shaped and uses a blend of wheat, rice, and soy flours with dried yeast, giving it a distinct flavour.
The Craft Range
Made by Freiberger Group, the range includes six products with three base styles: takeaway, thin, and pinsa. Takeaway options are Cheese Feast and Mac & Cheese; thin bases are Meat Feast and Spicy Chicken; pinsas are Garlic Cheese and Meatball Marinara. Tesco hopes to show how far frozen pizzas have come.
Taste Test
First, the BBQ Meat Feast. It avoided the artificial sweetness of some BBQ pizzas, with a crispy, flavourful base and generous meat. It was a hit. The Cheese Feast, with mozzarella, Cheddar, and Monterey Jack, was less impressive after the BBQ pizza, lacking a strong cheesy punch.
The Meatball Marinara pinsa impressed with a savoury base that stood out from typical shop-bought pizzas. The topping was herbaceous with ample meat and sauce. The Garlic Cheese pinsa initially lacked garlic flavour, but later bites delivered intense garlic bursts alongside mozzarella and emmental. I enjoyed this random distribution.
Conclusion
These pizzas show more care in the bases, especially the pinsas, resulting in flavourful products. The BBQ Meat Feast is a definite repurchase, though the Cheese Feast fell short. The Mac & Cheese option remains untried but intriguing. The pinsas were enjoyable and packed with flavour. While not rewriting the rule book, these are decent frozen pizzas that I would buy again.
