London & South East

Franco Manca gets a pizza the action

Franco Manca

Celebrated pizzeria Franco Manca is a fabulous Italian restaurant serving up scrumptious dishes that are more than enough to satisfy diners.

With outlets in Brixton, Chiswick, Westfield Stratford and Northcote, Franco Manca is a growing brand offering the most authentic sourdough pizza ever seen in the UK.

For Franco Manca the term ‘authentic’ does not mean a mere replica of the Neapolitan tradition, but a totally hands on approach from the sourcing of ingredients through to execution. The mozzarella is made daily on Lloyd Green’s organic farm in Somerset in collaboration with Franco Manca; the tomatoes are from a small co-op of organic producers in Italy; the ham and sausages are made in partnership with David Tomlin from the Rare Breed Survival Trust whilst Ottavio Rube, one of the initiators of organic agriculture in Italy, makes the wine.

Another key ingredient is a product that has been a well kept secret in Italy since the 14th century. On 1,000 acres of forest near Siena, Scorgiano Organic Farm rears rare Cinta Senese pigs in the wild. It is from these pigs that the farm produces a delicious ham aged for a minimum of two years.

Franco Manca

Owner Giuseppe Mascoli, commented: “For us growing ‘the brand’ means extending our commitment to not only local production, but to those dedicated to a more enjoyable and less alienated way of producing. At the same time, we are relishing the challenge of expanding without toeing the line of the classical corporate model.”

Franco Manca’s Northcote Road restaurant is a casual build, without architect or designer. Explained Mascoli: “Friends and partners helped construct the restaurant from materials that ranged from cardboard lighting – made by bike courier and mate Paolo Longheu – through to pop-up cupboards created by the builders. The design is there, but it is involuntary. We make pizzas – not chairs.”

At the heart of the eatery is a bespoke wood-burning brick oven where pizzas are cooked at 500C, the heat sealing the flavours of the toppings and the moisture of the crust.

Franco Manca offers notoriously low prices, with pizzas ranging from £4.50 to £6.85 and a bottle of organic wine costing just £12.95.

Franco Manca

For further information about Franco Manca, please visit: www.francomanca.co.uk.

About the author

Roma Publications