If you’ve been out and about in the Surrey Hills lately, you may well have spotted a quirky little vehicle, in the shape of a teardrop, and perhaps wondered what it was…
Welcome to the wonderful world of The Wood Fired Larder – a beautiful bespoke caravan that houses a wood-fired oven, no less, where the Nelson-Yates family make the delicious pizzas completely from scratch.
Their own hand-made dough, created from ‘00’ Italian pizza flour, is covered with a layer of fresh passata and finished off with a choice of tasty toppings – ranging from roasted butternut squash and caramelised red onion to free-range chicken breast, marinated in aromatic Cajun spices, to slow-roasted pulled pork with lemon-dressed rocket, to name but a few.
“We are very proud of the fact that we use the best ingredients we can find, sourced locally whenever possible, and always freshly prepared,” says Debs Nelson-Yates, who runs the business with her husband, Simon, and their two children, Jess, 15, and Jamie, 13.
“All our fresh meat is free-range, and comes from our local butchers, J. Chitty and Sons of Brockham, and we alter our ingredients according to seasonal availability. We also offer vegan options as well.”
Food and the outdoors
Very much a family affair, it all started when the couple – who both share a passion for food, entertaining and the great outdoors – wanted to create a fun little venture that they could all enjoy together.
Then, in 2015, they inherited some money from a close relative and decided to use this to commission their own pop-up pizza van.
Following a ‘soft launch’ in May 2016, they began trading fully that September and the rest is history.
Today, they are a regular fixture at a number of charming locations across the Surrey Hills – from their regular pitch in their local village of Brockham to the idyllic setting of Albury Vineyard and, perhaps most excitingly of all, at the National Trust property of Leith Hill Place – where they offer a tailored, ‘café-style’ version of their usual offering.
“Every Friday, weather permitting, you’ll find us in the car park of the Rhododendron Wood,” says Debs.
“Although we don’t offer our pizzas there at the moment, we do produce our very popular freshly-made paninis as well as tea and coffees.”
Indeed, while their wood-fired pizzas will always be at the heart of what they do, they also offer plenty more besides – from afternoon teas and mouthwatering canapés to vintage sweets.
Relaxing festival vibes
As well as providing catering for festivals, corporate events and private parties, they also cater for weddings too.
“The wedding side of the business has really taken off, as many people now prefer the idea of a more relaxed, festival vibe,” says Debs.
“In fact, we are now an official catering partner for both Gildings Barns and Old Greens Barn, in Newdigate, but the beauty of being mobile is that we can also come to you!”
With things going so well, it’s perhaps no surprise that this year they are investing in their second caravan – which this time will be in the style of a shepherd’s hut. Needless to say, we can’t wait to see what they do with that one!
- This article originally appeared in Local Food Britain's monthly Meet the Producer food and drink column in Surrey Life magazine.
Tags: street food
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