I'm late to the party, but somewhere within the past year Pizza Express released their first ever vegan pizza in their stores, the Pianta. I hadn't eaten in Pizza Express previously but had heard they were accommodating to vegans anyway though the introduction of a cheese-free pizza was a very exciting announcement for vegan for diners in the UK (and meant we didn't need to feel awkward asking for edits).
Recently I finally managed to make it along to try it out. The Pianta is cheese free and instead topped with artichokes, rocket (mine has spinach because they had ran out of rocket that day), chestnut mushrooms, pine kernals with olive oil drizzled over to finish.
My verdict is positive and I'm glad a major UK chain has decided to put a vegan option on the menu. I'm also glad that it doesn't contain a vegan cheese as I reckon vegan pizzas taste better sans cheese, rather than with a cheese substitute (and having a soya intolerance I'm quite glad they skipped this step!). It was quite rich however and I did struggled to finish it. Some of the comments I received on my Instagram also echoed the view that it wasn't the easiest of pizzas to get through in one sitting.
Pizza is one of those foods I have missed since my vegan switch and I am so grateful a pizza chain has put something vegan on the menu, making it easier to eat out (especially with non-vegan friends). I'm hoping this will encourage the other pizza players in the UK to consider adding a vegan option to their menus.
Have you been to try the Pianta yet? What were your thoughts?
