Ultra-stylish pizza oven brand Gozney has teamed up with paint brand Tonester to curate a limited-edition range of oven colours that will make your outdoor kitchen the most stylish around.

Four striking paint shades have been used to transform the British brand's best pizza ovens for this collection, but the kicker is that they won't be around forever. Launching from Monday the 15th of June, with one new oven dropping every day via Gozney's website (up to Thursday the 18th), once these ovens are gone, they won't be coming back around again.

So if you love the look of these colour-drenched ovens, then mark your calendars. Here's a closer look at this gorgeous paint-inspired collection.

I recently awarded Ideal Home's Garden Award for the best pizza oven of 2026 to Gozney's Dome Gen 2. That's because if you want an outdoor cooking centrepiece that will also wow your guests, a Gozney oven is the way to go. And if you want to use bold colour in your home, this collection is your route to that too.

You can so easily spruce up an outdoor kitchen with a pop of colour, and this collection's palette (which is inspired by the hues of open-air cooking) is bang on trend if you're inspired by the Cotswold outdoor kitchen look, with its effortlessly stylish neutrals.

From a warm, stone brown to an alluring burnt orange, this collection is also unique because the palette isn't available across every oven. Instead, each oven has a shade that 'belongs' to the corresponding Gozney product. My personal favourite is the luxurious stone colour of the Tread, which the brand says has a finish which 'reads differently in every light'.

While Gozney's biggest ovens have very big price tags, their most affordable offerings are incredibly good value for the calibre of outdoor cooking equipment you get. When I reviewed the brand's most affordable oven, the Roccbox (which is currently £80 off right now via Gozney) I was so impressed by its portability and seamless set up as well as its design-led good looks.

While this isn't Gozney's first collaboration – they previously teamed up with kitchen brand Hedley & Bennett on a gorgeous sunset-inspired palette – I'm sure it's about to be their most hyped. So, if you like the look of these luxe neutral ovens, I'd get in fast!

Pizza ovens are well and truly the hottest commodity you can have in your garden this summer. We've slowly seen them ramp up in popularity over the last few years - what started as a mere pizza oven is now evolving into full-blown pizza oven set-ups that rival your favourite pizzeria.

Whether you've already invested in one of the best pizza ovens or you're about to make a purchase, you'll need a proper pizza oven stand in order to use it safely and create a dedicated zone for cooking in your garden.

So, I've hunted high and low for the 12 best pizza oven stands on the high street, ranging from folding tables and simple metal stands to wooden units to create a dedicated outdoor kitchen area. Our favourite pizza oven brands, Gozney and Ooni have some fantastic stands made specifically for their pizza ovens, but there are also so many high street options to suit your space.

All under £350, here's what to shop before the next sunny weekend rolls around.

Got your pizza oven and stand covered? This edit of the best pizza oven accessories, from cleaning brushes and peels to storage boxes for toppings, will get you fully kitted out.

With the first Bank Holiday under our belts, now is the perfect time to spruce up our gardens and outdoor kitchen set-ups - and pizza ovens are the ultimate place to start. Whether you're entertaining or want to jazz up your Friday night dinner, one of the best pizza ovens will be a worthy investment and addition to your outdoor kitchen ideas.

Investing in a pizza oven is the first step, but creating a fully kitted-out pizza station will upgrade the experience for both the chef and guests. From a station to house the pizza oven, cooking tools to make the perfect pizza and the right prep accessories for making dough and housing toppings, these 12 pizza station essentials will set you in good stead.

The Gozney Arc Gas Fuel Pizza Oven is our top pick of pizza ovens and will look super stylish atop a folding table like this one from Ooni. You'll also need some tools to get your pizza in and out of the oven, so make sure you have a peel to hand.

Whether you need a few more accessories or you're ready to invest in the whole setup, these 12 picks will get you started.

Looking for more outdoor inspiration to overhaul your alfresco dining space? The Cotswold outdoor kitchen trend is the perfect place to start.

Gozney, the name behind the some of the most stylish pizza ovens on the market (bar none, in my opinion) just made its range a little more accessible with the launch of the Gozney Arc Lite, available from the 3rd of March for £349.99.

Modelled on the best pizza oven I've ever tried, the Gozney Arc (as per my five star review), the new Arc Lite is a fantastically compact version which retains the brand's effortlessly stylish curved look and signature rolling lateral flame.

Here's a closer look at this lightweight oven and all of its features, including how it compares to the OG Gozney Arc.

Let's get down to the basics: the Arc Lite is a gas oven which, according to Gozney, heat to temperatures of 500°C in a flash – perfect for getting that Neapolitan-style crust on your pizza just like your favourite Italian dining spot.

It also has the same seamless control panel as with the original Arc. With just a turn of the dial (much like cooking on a gas hob), you can control the stunning rolling flame inside and get that all essential crisp on your homemade pizza.

It was hard to find fault with the OG Gozney Arc but somewhat hard to justify the price when recommending ovens to casual pizza makers (at £599.99). The Arc Lite seems tailor-made to those who are looking to spend a little less without having to compromise on quality, as well as those with compact gardens rather than oodles of outdoor space.

Plus, if you're looking for a starter pizza oven for this spring, I can attest that Gozney's are very easy to set up. They also have a staggering amount of accessories once you really get into the art of pizza making too.

The Arc Lite joins the Gozney family in this bracket alongside the XL version, which retails for £799.99. And of course, as well as being the most compact it has the pull of affordability, as the brand's lowest-ticket oven yet. Of course, there are more affordable options out there, but it is worth bearing in mind that the expert advice is to really consider which features are worth it to you when investing in something this expensive.

Even just the sneak peek I've had of the Arc Lite so far has me dreaming of warmer evenings and ready-to-fire pizza dough. If you already have a pizza oven, then don't miss out on the chance to add a Gozney to your collection – even if that's only an accessory. I've added my favourite extras from the brand below.

Could you see yourself adding a fire cooking element to your garden this year?

Ninja took over a slice of the outdoor cooking market when it launched the Woodfire Electric Outdoor Oven in 2024. Now, it's looking to fully conquer the pizza oven scene with the more affordable and streamlined version of the outdoor oven: The Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven.

I'm a huge fan of Ninja kitchen appliances and use my Ninja Dual Zone air fryer and Ninja Creami weekly/daily. However, I'm also the owner of a very beautiful gas pizza oven I'd tested previously for our best pizza oven guide. So, while I expected great things from Ninja, it was going to take some convincing to make the switch to this outdoor electric pizza oven.

At a glance

The Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven launched earlier this year. It was a slimmed-down version of the Ninja Woodfire Electric Outdoor Oven, isolating the pizza oven functionality into a smaller and more affordable model.

It has four outdoor cooking functions: pizza, bake, air fry and prove. Everything about this pizza oven is effortless; it is the definition of 'plug-and-play' with intuitive instructions and removes any guesswork with alerts for when it's pre-heated and then when it's finished cooking. It evenly cooks pizzas, so there's no need to turn it during the cooking process. You can put it in and wait for the beep to go off in a few minutes.

It usually retails for £299.99, however can often be found reduced during big sales events like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday. However, even at full price, it is a good price for a beginner-friendly pizza oven with the amount of functionality it has as an outdoor oven.

Specs

• Modes: Pizza (Artisan, Thin Crust, New York, Pan and Custom), Bake, Air Fry and Prove
• Weight: 11.9Kg
• Power: Electric
• Size: H32cm x L59cm xW42cm
• Included accessories: 12 inch Pizza Stone, 30x30 Bake Tray, Pizza Peel, Air Fry Basket and Quick Start Recipe Book.
• RRP: £299.99

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

The box arrived at my door with some of the most efficient packing I've come across with a kitchen appliance. It was heavy and bulky, but I could shuffle it out into my garden on my own.

It was packed very neatly in a mix of paper and cardboard to protect the accessories and pizza oven. The oven comes fully assembled, ready to slot either the pizza stone or baking tray and the air fryer basket inside. At just under 12Kg it's just the right weight for one person to carry and set up.

The only setup required was attaching the handle to the pizza peel, which was done in minutes.

Although it's an electric appliance, this pizza oven is designed to live outside. You can buy the pizza oven in a bundle with a dedicated stand and a waterproof cover for £320 on the Ninja website.

However, you don't need either of these to use the pizza oven. I was testing the pizza oven without the stand, and was using it on the top of a plotting bench I've upgraded into a mini outdoor kitchen. The pizza oven does reach temperatures of 370°C, but the underside doesn't get hot, so it can be set up on any surface that is flat and outside.

The oven is designed to be used come rain or shine, and has a RCD plug to protect it from any electrical issues. My only caveat to this is to think about what you're plugging it into. The cable is 1.5 meters long, so it can be easily plugged into an outdoor power outlet. If you don't have one of these, or your outdoor cooking station is further away from the house, you will need to invest in a weatherproof extension lead to use it safely in all weather conditions.

The pizza oven itself is compact and, in my opinion, one of the best-looking outdoor cooking pieces Ninja has made so far. It is smaller than many of the gas pizza ovens I've used, despite cooking the same 12 inch size pizzas.

The door has a large handle and a small chef's window you can look through and watch your pizza cooking. You do have to pull on the door quite firmly to open it. Inside, there is a heating element on the bottom, and notches to rest the pizza stone or the baking tray on.

The air fryer basket is the weirdest-looking accessory (and hardest to store). It is a silver basket on four legs that must be used with the baking tray to avoid anything falling into the heating element.

The control panel is discreetly hidden below the door and is super easy to use. You can select your function using the dial, and adjust your temperature or timings with the buttons. Throughout the cooking process, you will see prompts on the screen saying 'preheating' or 'add food and press start'. You will also be alerted with a beep sound when it's ready for food to be added or taken out of the oven.

What is it like to use?

Despite owning a gas pizza oven and having a wood-fired pizza oven at my family home growing up, I would still class myself as a beginner pizza chef. Making pizzas is alot harder than it looks, and I've still not fully mastered my dough throwing or pizza peel skills so I was testing the Ninja oven from the perspective of a beginner.

So with that in mind, I can't stress enough how beginner-friendly this pizza oven is compared to a gas or wood-fired version if you want the fun without the cooking stress.

Proving

The proving feature is the one that excited me the most about the Ninja Artisan Pizza Oven. A couple of Ninja's air fryers now included this feature, but it basically sets the temperature of the oven to a low and warm 30 degrees, and will time the prove for you and beep when it's done.

It is a handy feature for anyone making their pizza or bread dough from scratch to bake in the oven. I was following a recipe for focaccia from the Ninja quick start recipe book, and it included clear instructions for the proving stage in the oven using the provided baking tray.

It was my first time making a focaccia; however, the controlled temperature and timer of the oven helped me sail through and make an impressive (if not perfect) loaf.

Any keen baker will know that moisture is also key to an effective prove. While this pizza oven doesn't have this built in, the recipe book included plenty of tips for adding water to the baking tray before covering with clingfilm which I tried to great effect when proving my New York style pizza dough.

Pizza oven

The pizza oven function is seriously impressive in how effortless it is. It has four presets programmed for Artisan, Thin Crust, New York and Pan pizzas, but you can also opt for a custom pizza setting. Each setting adjusts the temperature and timings, with the Artisan setting reaching the highest temperature of 370 degrees and cooking the pizza in 3 minutes for that artisan char effect.

The pizza oven took less than 15 minutes to preheat for the highest temperatures (lower temperatures for the other settings took less time). There was no guessing with a temperature gauge or gun involved, it beeped and ran a message across the control panel to 'add food' as soon as it was up to temperature.

I trialled the Artisan, Thin Crust and New York settings on a pre-made pizza anda homemade pizza to compare the results. While all the setting delivered a deliciously crisp base (despite my poor dough skills), I think the preset timings are a little off on the Artisan setting.

It cooks the pizza for three minutes, which is fast, but a typical pizza oven will usually take 60 to 90 seconds. The extra charred result on my pizza crust made me think I could have taken it out a little earlier, but you could perfect this as you get used to the appliance with the custom mode setting.

The oven was also quick to reheat after each pizza, and I found I could make two in quick succession, with it taking not much more than 1 minute to come back up to temperature after each one.

The biggest perk was that the pizza didn't require any turning during the pizza oven process to achieve an even cook. A huge bonus considering the trouble I had in the first place getting the pizza off the Ninja pizza peel into the oven.

The large holes in the pizza peel were very unforgiving of my poor pizza dough skills, and the space in the pizza oven is quite tight. It sent my first pizza attempt tumbling into a molten mound of cheese and tomato on the pizza stone. I largely fixed this with an extra dusting of semolina, but I still found the dough catching on the holes, so I would consider swapping to a more beginner-friendly option like the Ooni pizza peel

Baking

The baking function is a fun addition to the artisan pizza oven. It works as well as an indoor oven and was a godsend during the summer heatwave when I couldn't bear to turn the kitchen oven on.

It just involves swapping the pizza stone for the baking tray and adjusting to the baking setting, which allows you to set the temperature and timer. It has the same preheat alerts as on the pizza setting, a feature I wish came in more cooking appliances.

I successfully baked a focaccia in the oven following a recipe in the Ninja Quickstart guide. It cooked in around 15 minutes and had a lovely golden brown on the top, however, the base was a little paler than I'd have liked. On a whim, I also tried toasting a batch of granola in the oven; it worked a treat and gave the oat and honey mix a gorgeous toasty finish.

Airfry

The air fryer function uses a mesh metal tray that you sit on the baking tray to catch any crumbs falling into the heating element. This was the only feature that I was a little bit disappointed with in the Ninja artisan pizza oven.

I used it to cook a batch of chips, and while it did a nice job of evenly browning them it took longer for them to cook and was more faff-y than using my standard Ninja air fryer. The large surface area of the tray allowed the chips to cook relatively evenly, but I missed being able to give them an easy shake like I do with my Ninja Dual Zone air fryer.

I would not buy this pizza oven for the air fryer function; instead, I'd just see it as a perk for crisping things up in the outdoor oven.

Cleaning

Cleaning the Ninja artisan pizza oven was surpisingly easy. The pizza stone, baking tray and air fryer tray are the door are the only elements that require cleaning. Both the baking tray and air fryer tray had the same incredible non-stick present in most Ninja appliances. Oil, burnt on bits and granola scraps, all fell off without any scrubbing required.

The pizza stone can't get it wet, so instead you have to rely on any cooking remnants being burnt and brushed off. I have come to learn that pizza stone are just destined to have a dark, sooty splodge from the first use, and this was the case with this pizza oven. The trickiest part to clean was the semolina that had fallen around the edges of the pizza stove into the heating element below.

Comparisons

In terms of an electric pizza oven, the Ninja Artisan pizza oven is a brilliant option for a small space and comes in at an impressively low price point. The Ninja Artisan Pizza Oven can often be found on offer for £250, however, even at full price, it is still under £300.

This is cheaper than most of the gas-powered pizza ovens we've tested at Ideal Home; however, if you like the price but want a more hands-on cooking experience with that wood-fired taste, you would be better off considering the entry-level wood-fired Ooni Fyra 12 Pizza Oven (priced at £249).

There aren't many directly comparable pizza ovens to the Ninja Artisan, as it is one of the few dedicated electric pizza ovens for outdoor use only. However, if you are looking for an electric pizza you can use inside, it's worth considering the Ooni Volt and Sage Smart Oven Pizzialolo. However, they are double the price of the Ninja pizza oven, costing upwards of £700.

The best oven to compare to the Ninja Artisan is its predecessor, the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven. The original Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven is more expensive by around £50 than the new version, but it is designed to be more than a pizza oven and is able to smoke meat, dehydrate, roast and more.

The new Artisan pizza oven also doesn't include the option to use wood pellets to get that wood-fired flavour. If you're looking for that authentic taste, this might be a feature worth paying a little more for.

Should you buy it?

You should buy the Ninja Artisan Pizza Oven if you are a looking for an affordable, small, compact pizza oven that is beginner-friendly, and will allow you to prove, air fry, bake and cook pizza without a fire element with ease.

You shouldn't buy the Ninja Artisan Pizza Oven if you love an authentic wood-fired taste, want to be more hands-on when cooking the pizza with turning and checking the temperature, and don't have an easy-to-access power outlet to plug it (or an extension lead) into.

I still enjoy that hands-on cooking experience, so I have held onto my gas-powered pizza oven. However, I am recommending the Ninja Artisan Pizza oven to all my friends with either kids who love pizza or are fair-weather bakers, as it is the ultimate stress-free appliance for effortless homemade pizzas on tap.

My pizza oven has barely been out of use this summer. But if there's one gripe I have with it it's that hauling a huge canister of gas around with it is sometimes less than ideal – especially if I want to host at someone else's house.

That's why I'm weighing up swapping my pick of the best pizza ovens that runs on gas for an electric one. In part, I've been swayed by the glowing review my fellow editor Becky Knight has given to the new Ninja Artisan pizza oven, which she's trying out as well as the multi-functionality of the Ninja Woodfire oven, which we gave 5 stars to in our review.

So, if you're also thinking about going in on an electric outdoor oven, here's why I think it's the outdoor dining product of the summer.

The basics of these electric pizza ovens

How do electric ovens work? The best example I have is the two Ninjas we've tried at Ideal Home. To run these ovens, you need to plug them into an outdoor socket or a socket that's close enough to your garden or balcony to be appropriate. After the first use, that's essentially all you have to do in terms of set-up – convenient, right?

The controls on both are digital, which takes the guesswork and stress out of peering down at a temperature gauge too – another plus of electric power. Our reviewer Helen found that the Woodfire took around 15 minutes to get to optimum temperature and while Becky is still in the early stages of testing the Artisan, she's found the newer oven takes about the same time. The Artisan also beeps handily to let you know when it's ready.

Specs wise, both electric ovens are multi-functional too, though the Woodfire is more so. It has eight settings in total: Pizza, Max Roast, Gourmet Roast, Top Heat, Bake, Smoker, Dehydrate, & Keep Warm.

The Artisan is more stripped back and pizza-focussed (hence the name) with four: Pizza, Bake, Air Fry & Prove. The Artisan is also cheaper with an RRP of £299.99 versus the Woodfire's £349.99 price-tag.

What's the benefit of an electric pizza oven?

The phrase that our reviewer Helen used to describe the Woodfire was 'fuss-free', with minimal effort needed to pre-heat (just turning a dial) and features built-in to make the cooking experience itself easier too. Even within the pizza setting on the Woodfire, there are six individual settings: Artisan, Thin, Pan, New York style, Calzone and Custom.

There's also no need to turn with an electric oven, as you do with a gas one, as the heat isn't coming from an open flame. That means that you can walk away from the oven for the (albeit brief) time your pizza cooks.

The settings on the Woodfire meant that Helen was able to be very consistent with her pizzas. In fact, she said that after 'perfecting pizzas in my wood fired pizza oven for months, I’ve never made four pizzas as good and consistent as I did on my first attempt using the Woodfire. These were the best pizzas I think I’ve ever made!'.

It's fair to say that an electric oven has a little less of a learning curve than a wood-fired version then, at least according to Helen.

Becky has also found that the Artisan is a stress-free way of entertaining outside, with ease being its best feature. She says that the oven is 'designed to be beginner-friendly' too, with prompts to guide you on cooking times.

In terms of flavour, one thing that experts want you to know before you buy a pizza oven is that different fuel types yield different flavours. And with an electric oven, you do miss out on those smoky wood-fired flavours.

To counteract this, the Woodfire has a smoker box that you can pop pellets into which Helen reported worked well, though this isn't a featured carried over with the Artisan.

All in all then, I'm definitely feeling swayed to go electric when the time comes to upgrade my pizza oven. Could you be swayed to this easier way of cooking outside this summer?

Few outdoor kitchens and BBQ set-ups are complete without a pizza oven these days, and if you haven’t got your hands on one yet, listen up. Aldi is selling a new pizza oven that is a more than £300 cheaper alternative to the cult Ooni Koda 2 Pizza Oven.

It’s true that the best pizza oven will add a whole new dimension to your outdoor cooking space. Fresh, authentic Italian-style pizza whenever you like, it’s a no-brainer that these handy cooking vessels give your BBQ a gourmet edge.

However, these ovens have always been an investment piece and unfortunately, not suited to everyone’s budget. Until now. Aldi’s Gas Pizza Oven costs just £69.99 making it one of the cheapest models I’ve seen this year.

Landing in stores on Thursday (10 July), I’m really excited about the prospect of this Specialbuy. It’s even cheaper than Lidl’s pizza oven, which retails for £79.99. You can always count on Aldi for delivering some of the lowest market prices, whilst delivering on quality, which is the main reason I keep finding myself drawn to the middle aisle every time I visit.

Reaching up to 900 degrees, this oven boasts a rapid warm-up time, so you can cook authentic pizza in minutes. Alongisde reaching such high temperatures, the Aldi pizza oven is designed with a double wall, which retains heat in the cooking chamber, allowing you to cook pizza after pizza.

It has a cordierite pizza stone and a built-in thermometer to ensure crispy crusts. The oven also comes with non-slip rubber feet and a carrier bag so you can take this oven camping, picnicking and to your summer plans.

By contrast, the Ooni Koda pizza oven was highly regarded by Ideal Home’s expert reviewer, who praised the oven for how easy it was to make authentic pizza without mess or hassle. Ooni is rated as one of the best pizza oven brands by Ideal Home, and there are plenty of Ooni models to choose from to suit your needs.

I’m not convinced the Aldi pizza oven will quite match the quality of the Ooni Koda, however, if you’re new to pizza ovens or have a smaller budget, I do think Aldi’s pizza oven is a great starting point. But if you’re having trouble tracking it down, here are a few more alternatives.

Or, if a gas pizza oven (which can get into the hundreds and into the thousands of pounds) is a little out of the budget, there are loads of great alternatives that can still help you create a gourmet experience at home. Here's a few of our favourites.

Will you be trying to get your hands on the Aldi pizza oven this week?

When Ninja puts their mind to creating a cooking appliance, it is almost guaranteed that they'll knock it out of the park. That is the case with the Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven & Air Fryer, which has currently been reduced to £229.99 from £299 at Ninja.

This isn't Ninja's first outdoor oven, but it is their newest one, launching in March this year. In my Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven review, I found it had taken the pizza-making ability of the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven, which impressed our reviewer, and distilled it into a more affordable and sleeker model.

Now it has been reduced by another £70 in Ninja's sale, making it an even better price. There's never been a more perfect time to snap up what I think is a contender for one of the best pizza ovens on the market. It's also one of the rare few powered by electricity.

If you're baffled by why anyone would opt for an outdoor electric pizza oven over a wood-fired or gas version, the simple answer is for ease. I tested the Ninja Artisan electric outdoor pizza oven for a couple of weeks and noticed how much easier it has been to use than other gas pizza ovens I've tested.

It is a plug-and-play appliance; all you need is an outdoor safe extension cord, something to rest it on, and you're ready to start cooking at the touch of a button. No tracking down a gas cannister or messing around with woodchips to get a fire going.

The Artisan Electric outdoor pizza oven has four presets for thin crust, artisan, New York and deep pan to cook the perfect pizza. It is designed to be beginner-friendly, including prompts on the screen at the bottom for when it has preheated, when to put the food in and when to take it out.

If you enjoy the art of bringing a pizza oven up to temperature, rotating it in the oven and that authentic woodfired taste, then this pizza oven is not for you. However, if you want something that is almost effortless to use, this is just the ticket.

It also has the added bonus features of doubling as an air fryer and proving oven. I'm still sceptical about why anyone needs an outdoor air fryer, and have yet to try it, but in theory, all of these functions should complement each other.

You can start by proving the dough in the oven at a low temperature, then air frying your chips as a side dish at a higher temperature, before going in for the finishing touch with the full 370 degrees to cook your pizzas.

At this high temperature, the pizzas cook in 3 to 4 minutes. It is slightly longer than other pizza ovens I've tried, which cook them in just 60 seconds. However, the couple of pizzas I've cooked in it have produced the best crust I've managed on the first go with a new pizza oven.

The rest of the Ninja sale

I'm a full convert to electric outdoor cooking, with an electric Weber Lumin BBQ and now this pizza oven, I find it so much more convenient in my small urban garden.

If you are tempted to expand your outdoor cooking set-up with some other electric appliances, both Ninja's Electric BBQ and the Ninja Woodfire Electric Outdoor Oven are on sale. They both impressed our reviewers as the perfect additions to an outdoor kitchen.

Aldi’s sell-out pizza oven is returning just in time for barbecue season—and with £10 shaved off last year's price tag, it’s now even more affordable.

I can’t be the only one who gets excited to roll out the best BBQ when the sun comes out, and with pizza ovens becoming a modern outdoor staple, I can’t help but think about the prospect of fresh dough, too. Luckily, the Aldi pizza oven is hitting the middle aisle tomorrow (27 March), costing just £29.99.

If you’ve been on the hunt for the best pizza oven, I’d urge you to consider Aldi’s purse-friendly oven, which promises to serve up restaurant-quality pizzas in just 10 minutes. This is everything you need to know about this bargain buy.

Aldi states their pizza oven is half the prize of a George Foreman pizza oven, it’s one of the cheapest pizza ovens I’ve seen on the market. In fact, the closest in price I’ve found is the VonHaus BBQ Pizza Oven Outdoor, which is £44.99 on Amazon.

The VonHaus oven's 90-second cooking time sets it ahead of the Aldi pizza oven for me. But this doesn't mean Aldi's oven isn't a great budget option.

The Aldi pizza oven promises a 10-minute cook time and can handle up to 12” pizzas, making it great for whipping up any crispy and delicious al fresco meals this summer. What’s more, the pizza oven is designed to work with both gas and charcoal BBQ.

The Aldi pizza oven is a compact 40 x 35 x 15cm and comes with a high-quality ceramic pizza stone and integrated thermometer to ensure every slice is cooked to perfection, and comes with a three-year warranty.

Compact and affordable, I think the Aldi pizza oven is a great option if you’re looking for an affordable option or don’t have the time to build a pizza oven. And it’s tabletop function means you no longer have to choose between a BBQ or a pizza oven.

Pizza oven accessories

Now you've chosen your pizza oven, you'll need some accessories to elevate your pizza making station.

It may not feel like summer has arrived yet, but the Aldi pizza oven is one of the first signposts. But like all Specialbuys, when it’s gone it’s gone - and we think the Aldi pizza oven will sell out fast.

Will you be treating yourself?

Whether you're in the kitchen or relaxing in your garden, Ninja keeps on delivering new products at an impressive speed to liven up the experience. This time, Ninja has announced a shiny new pizza oven: the Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza & Air Fry Oven.

After the huge success of what I consider to be one of the best pizza ovens, the Ninja Woodfire, it makes sense that the brand has dreamt up even more innovative ways to enjoy alfresco dining this summer.

Here's how the Artisan differs from the original Woodfire and why it's going to be a seriously coveted item this spring. One of the big reasons? It's the cheaper buy, at £299.99 via the Ninja website where you can sign up now.

1. It's far more compact and features a window

The Ninja Woodfire, described by our reviewer as 'an outstanding bit of kit', was used to make outstanding pizzas as well as delectable brownies (thanks to the bake function) in our tests.

That aside, one thing it lacked is that signature pizza oven look. That's where the Artisan serves as an updated version, with similarities in design to the Ooni Karu we've reviewed.

It has a 12" x 12" cavity for your pizzas and though exact measurements aren't available yet, its USP is its compact design, so it's sure to suit those with smaller spaces.

The 'Chef's View Window' gives you a chance to check up on your pizza without disrupting the high heat needed for an ultra-crispy base.

2. It's got a proving mode

The baker in me is very happy to hear that, like the Ninja FlexDrawer air fryer we've reviewed, this oven features a proving function. That's an upgrade from the Woodfire and the perfect addition for anyone making pizza dough.

The prove setting gives your dough time to come to life at a temperature of 30°C. It needn't be limited to just pizza either – instead of splashing out on a proving drawer, you just got access to one for all of your baking exploits.

3. It's far cheaper

The obvious benefit of the new Artisan oven? It's £149.99 cheaper than the Woodfire and has so many of the features.

First up, it keeps the air fryer ability (which is genius for taking the stress out of BBQs or garden parties) and has the same expansive five pizza-making modes (Artisan, Thin, New York, Deep Pan, Calzone & Custom).

Throw the proving mode in and the fact that this is altogether a much better-looking oven, and I'm sold on this being the big Ninja buy of the summer.

I'm hoping that we can add a review of the Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza & Air Fry Oven to our long-list of tried and tested pizza ovens. Until then, is there a go-to outdoor cooking appliance that you've got higher up your wishlist than this one?

Gozney, the brand behind the popular Arc and Roccbox pizza ovens, has unveiled its newest innovation - the Gozney Tread.

Available from Tuesday the 11th of March, this new product has been designed, according to the brand, to be more portable than 'any other product that has gone before it'. Features include a lightweight, ultra-rugged build and a range of accessories that are easy to take on the go.

Whether you want to take your pizza oven on the road or whether you just like the look of one of the best pizza ovens in an outdoor kitchen, the Tread is certainly unique compared to the ovens I've tried and tested before as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor. Here's a first look at what sets it apart.

A first look at the Gozney Tread

The existing pizza ovens in Gozney's collection range from the very large (the Dome, which we awarded 4.5 stars in our review) to the affordably smaller (the Roccbox, a 5-star hit in our tests).

The Tread sits in between, weighing just 13.5 kg and coming in at the more affordable price of £499.99. If you're thinking that hardly sounds cheap, bear in mind that the Dome comes in at an eyewatering sum of £1799.99.

The Tread hopefully retains the ease of use that I've personally loved when testing Gozney ovens before, with claims that it can heat up to 500^oC in as little as 15 minutes and cool down in under 20.

That last detail is significant given the portable nature of this oven, as when I've taken ovens I've reviewed before to the beach, it's a very long wait until you can pack it back in the car again.

The other thing that's striking about the launch of the Tread is the accessories. The bag (which features carry handles) and the adjustable stand for the oven are designed to make heading out to whip up pizzas more enticing. One intriguing detail about the Venture Stand is that it's even been designed to be stable on uneven surfaces, too.

Even if you're not that interested in taking a pizza oven into the great outdoors, another great pull of the Gozney Tread is how it looks. Available in Off Black and Olive (my personal favourite), the modern, sleek Gozney look is alive and present with this one and will be sure to be the crowning jewel to your outdoor kitchen set up.

I'll be taking the Gozney Tread for a spin in the next few months to see how it shapes up in our review process, so stay tuned if you want to know if the performance of this oven matches up to the claims.

I’ve tested and reviewed my fare share of the best pizza ovens and they're great, but let’s face it, the British weather doesn’t always want to play ball. And even the biggest pizza craving isn’t enough to make me stand outside in the driving rain cooking an, albeit delicious, pizza.

So it’s easy to understand why indoor pizza ovens are becoming increasingly popular, especially taking into account the fact that many people don’t have any outside space in which to set up a pizza oven. So is the ProCook Electric Pizza Oven Air Fryer the answer?

We took a sneak peek at this oven when it launched and the bottom line is that his indoor pizza oven offers multiple cooking functions, so when you’re not making pizzas it’s still very useful. It can be used to cook meats, air fry chips, or even bake a cake. It’s got a lot to offer, so I set it up in my own kitchen for a week and tried to use as many of the functions as possible.

Product specs

• Pizza size: 12 inch
• Dimensions: 53 x 39.5 x 21.5cm
• Accessories included: stainless steel basket, pizza stone, wire rack, cast iron griddle
• Power cable: 107cm
• Warranty: 2 years

Unboxing and first impressions

There were no major surprises when I got it out of the box. I expected it to take up quite a bit of worktop space, which it does. But because it’s not very tall, it doesn’t dominate the kitchen.

It comes with a pretty straightforward set of accessories, a wire rack style shelf, a 12 inch round pizza stone, a similar size round cast iron griddle, and a mesh style basket shelf for air frying. There’s an additional removable bottom tray that slides in under the bottom element and collects any crumbs or drips to make cleaning easier.

Before the first use, the manual advises washing all the accessories, apart from the pizza stone. Then placing them into the oven and running the air fry function at the maximum temperature for 10 minutes.

The handle to flip the door open and closed is on the left and one thing I immediately noticed was that it’s easy to accidentally slam the door shut unless you carefully keep hold of the handle until it’s fully closed.

The door has a viewing window built in and there’s an internal light that’s activated by pressing the button on the control panel, which makes it super easy to keep an eye on how your pizza is puffing up.

All the controls are on the right hand side of the door. A central dial allows you to toggle through the menu of functions. Then it can be used in conjunction with the time and temperature buttons to adjust these settings.

Overall the settings are simple and intuitive to use. The five high temperature presets all include an auto preheat which is essential for them to perform properly. The other functions like air fry and bake however, don’t have a preheat built in to the settings.

There are a couple of confusing settings that are worth pointing out. Firstly ‘broil’, this annoys me because it’s an American term for a grill, and I do think ProCook could make more of an effort to get the terminology right for the country in which they sell the product.

The second confusing one is the ‘woodfire pizza’ setting. It’s confusing because there’s neither wood, nor fire involved. It’s simply a hotter pizza setting.

The instruction manual has detailed information on using the product, but I’d have loved some recipes or hints and tips for creating the best pizza or getting the most from the other settings.

What is it like to use?

Pizza

The fresh pizza program is designed for a slightly thinner crust pizza and has a preset cook time of 7½ minutes at 360C. Whereas the woodfired pizza program cooks at 400C and has a preset cook time of four minutes. The temperatures aren’t adjustable, but the time can be increased for different sized pizzas.

I tried both the wood fired and the fresh pizza programs on separate occasions. Both times my pizzas were around 7-8 inch which is a good size to fit on a plate and a bit easier to handle than anything bigger.

These pizza programs have a 15 minute preheat built in and you have to make sure the pizza stone is in place and gets preheated. Once it’s hot, it’s easiest to pull out the pizza stone by sliding the wire shelf out - that way you don’t have to touch the hot stone, but you can still access it to load on a pizza.

The problem I had was that the wire shelf doesn’t slide freely. I found it really tricky to force the shelf in and out when trying to access the pizza stone. That aside, to get a fresh pizza onto the boiling hot pizza stone, you’ll need some kind of pizza peel. I actually used a round cake lifter, which worked quite well. I used semolina under the pizza base to make sure it didn’t stick to the peel.

On both the fresh pizza and the woodfired pizza programs, the pizzas cooked really well. The crust puffed up and crisped beautifully and the bases were perfect too. I was very impressed with the results and they were comparable to some of the best pizzas I’ve made in outdoor pizza ovens.

After the first pizza, the oven stays on and ready to go for the next, you simply hit start again once you’ve loaded your next pizza in.

One thing that did concern me was that the exceptionally high temperature cooking might be using a lot of electricity, especially with the 15 minute preheat. So I plugged in an energy meter and was shocked at how little it actually used.

To cook two pizzas, including the initial preheat, it used 0.56 - 0.68kWh depending on the pizza setting. Based on the current average energy prices (22.36p per kWh), this equates to just 12.5 - 15.2p. This will obviously increase if you increase the cook times or make more than a couple of pizzas, but personally I think these numbers are reassuringly low.

I was also concerned that the exterior of the oven would get excessively hot. And right enough, the left hand side did reach 75C so you’ll have to take care there. But the top stayed below 45C and the right hand side stayed cool enough to touch.

I’m not sure why you would buy a pizza oven if you don’t want to explore the process of creating fresh home made pizzas. But just in case you find yourself cooking a frozen or ready made pizza, there are two other settings created especially for these.

The ‘crust pizza’ setting is designed for frozen shop-bought pizza with a stuffed crust. Or there’s also a ‘frozen pizza’ program for any other types of frozen pizza. Personally I was enjoying the home made versions too much to deviate from them, but judging on how well it makes fresh pizza, cooking a frozen pizza to perfection should be a doddle.

Air fry

The air fryer defaults to 230C for 17 minutes, and while this is hotter than I’d usually set my air fryer, I thought I’d just leave it on this and see how a piece of frozen breadcrumbed fish cooked up. It’s worth noting though, that the time and temperature are both adjustable.

I popped the fish onto the mesh basket and since there’s no auto preheat I put it in the cold oven and started the air fry function. It ended up taking 20 minutes at 230C which, despite the very high temperature, is a bit longer than in my usual air fryer. But it was cooked through nonetheless and had a deliciously crispy breadcrumb coating.

Fries

While it doesn’t specifically say so, I suspect the ‘fries’ preset utilises the air fryer function. This preset defaults to 25 minutes at 230C. I cut up enough potatoes for two portions of chips that I soaked in cold water for 30 minutes before drying, and then coating in a splash of oil.

Once again I used the mesh basket and added my home cut chips to a cold oven. A bit like the fish, the chips ended up cooking for a lengthy 35 minutes despite the higher-than-normal temperature setting.

Most good air fryers can cook this quantity of chips in 20-25 minutes, so it's a bit slow. That said, the chips were nicely browned and well crisped. And personally I’d rather wait a bit longer for a good chip than have mediocre or disappointing chips.

Bake

Due to its size and shape, this little air fryer pizza oven won’t be suited to every kind of cake or baked goods you might want to make. But a batch of scones felt like a pretty safe bet. Although my first hurdle was finding a baking tray that would fit. I ended up having to put my scones in a deeper brownie tin, so if you buy this pizza oven you might need to invest in some appropriately sized trays for baking.

I baked them at 180C. The bake function doesn’t have an automatic preheat, so I put them straight into the cold oven. Despite this, the scones cooked perfectly in 15 minutes. They rose beautifully and were light and fluffy, nothing short of a successful bake.

Bagel

No surprises here, I popped a bagel directly on the rack, cut side up. The manual says the rack must be placed in the lower shelf position, so that’s where I left it. The auto settings for toasting a bagel are adjusted by darkness, not time or temperature.

There are six darkness levels to choose from, but I left it on the default, which is number three. This was just right for my plain bagel and it took 3 ⅓ minutes to toast to a perfect golden brown.

Vegetables

I used this preset to roast red peppers and red onion that I intended to make into a tasty autumn soup. This time I made use of the mesh tray which can only be placed on the upper shelf position otherwise it brushes against the lower heating elements.

Again, there’s no auto preheat on this setting, so I popped the lightly oiled and seasoned vegetables into the cold oven and started the 20 minute default cook, at 220C. I gave them a stir after 10 minutes, but at the end of the 20 minute cook time they hadn’t roasted as much as I’d hoped.

In the end I left them in for a total of 35 minutes, and although this is longer than I expected, the finished result was nicely roasted peppers and onions with light charred edges.

Steak

The steak preset is one of the high temperature cooking programs and is designed to be used with the cast iron griddle pan. It auto preheats for eight minutes and then you place the steak on the hot griddle for just 50 seconds before it prompts you to turn it over and cook for the final 70 seconds.

At the end of the two minute cook time, my steak was seared on the outside but still very raw in the centre. I tried to put it back in for a bit longer but the steak mode went back into the eight minute preheat stage. I didn’t have much choice but to put it in anyway on the preheat for a further three minutes until it had cooked to medium rare.

It wasn’t an altogether unsuccessful endeavour, the steak was fine. But I’d suggest you’ll need to play around with the timings as well as the thickness of the steak, and it may take a few attempts to perfect it.

It’s not a noisy appliance. All the noise is coming from the fan, it’s about 60dB which isn’t too loud, but it’s certainly noticeable. And after most cooking sessions the fan stays on for between 15 - 40 minutes, depending on the setting and temperature you’ve been using. I found it annoying if I was still in the kitchen after cooking, sometimes it felt like it would never switch off.

How does it compare to competitors?

Leading pizza oven brand Ooni makes an indoor pizza oven called the Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven. It’s a dedicated pizza oven without all the extra functions you get with the ProCook. However it does offer the advantage of being suitable to use outside, so it can take the place of both an indoor and an outdoor pizza oven. The catch though, is that it costs around £800.

My personal favourite electric pizza oven is the Ninja Woodfire Electric Outdoor Oven. And while it is an outdoor model, it’s designed to be used in any weather. Plus it gives you the option to burn real wood pellets and create smokey flavours. And it’s way more than just a pizza oven, it can be used for smoking meats, even baking cakes.

What's it like to clean?

Only the metal rack and the metal basket accessories are dishwasher safe. Everything else has to be washed by hand, apart from the pizza stone. This should never be submerged in water and the best way to clean it is to scrape off any burnt-on residue with a spatula.

The removable bottom tray does catch any spills, drips, or crumbs and it comes clean easily, but you do have to remove and clean it after virtually every use. The thing I found trickiest to clean was the mesh shelf because of the way foods can get stuck in the mesh. I found that a good washing up brush is the best way of getting it clean.

Should you buy the ProCook Electric Pizza Oven Air Fryer?

If your primary objective of buying this pizza oven is to make great pizzas, then it’s absolutely a worthy buy and I can confirm that it does make an excellent pizza. Plus you can use it for other bakes and meals, so it’s more versatile than many of its peers.

I should reiterate that some functions such as steak, might be hit and miss or require you to fine tune the timings. And the air fry function is slower than a standalone air fryer. But on balance, I think that for the money, it’s a cracking little pizza oven that’ll elevate family pizza nights. And when you compare it to the cost of most others, it’s a bit of a bargain.

About this review, and the reviewer

After completing a Home Economics degree, Helen went on to work for the Good Housekeeping Institute and has been reviewing home appliances ever since. She lives in a small village in Buckinghamshire in the UK, where she reviews all sorts of home and garden appliances using her wealth of experience.

Helen set up the ProCook Electric Pizza Oven Air Fryer in her kitchen at home and used it for nearly two weeks. During this time, she tried out multiple functions and used all of the accessories. She made everything from pizza to steak, and even used it to bake a cake in an effort to put it through its paces.

If someone asked me to imagine my perfect day, a stone-baked pizza would certainly feature in it - bonus points if a glass of wine or two accompanies it!

However, over the summer, I presided over two pizza faux pas, where our homemade pizza night ended with us ordering takeaway and attempting to pick the sticky mess back out of my built-in oven.

So when the Revolve Pizza Oven arrived on my doorstep, I was excited but admittedly sceptical that I would finally find an oven that could cook pizza that would measure up to the local pizza place.

At £549, it’s more reasonably priced than some of its competitors, but still a substantial investment. So, the question is, is it worth it and can it join the ranks of the best pizza ovens? Here's what I thought when I tried it out.

Product specs

• Fuel: Gas
• Weight: 19kg
• Pizza size: 12 inch
• Dimensions: 22.2” x 16.3” x 16.1

Getting started

First things first, this is a beautiful pizza oven. Slick. It looks like it knows what it’s doing, even if I don’t. Its curved and luxe design makes it a welcome modern addition to any outdoor setting, and I think, as far as aesthetics go, it's one of the best designs out there.

In the box, you get the pizza oven, gas connector, pizza stone, pizza peel, infrared thermometer, and carry case. All I needed to do was take it out of the box, place the stone, add batteries to the motor, and attach that back to the base.

Attaching the gas is a little trickier, the manual covered each step with illustrations but this was the first time I’ve ever connected a gas bottle to anything and I found myself checking over and over again to be sure.

It would have been nice to have a QR code linking to a setup video to boost beginners' confidence. I dug around on the Revolve YouTube channel but could only find recipe videos.

A standout feature for me is that, fully assembled, the Revolve weighs 19kg, which is reasonably easy to maneuver and is only two-thirds the weight of other ‘portable’ competitors. I found I was able to lift it into place quite easily.

I’ve tried this model a few times to thoroughly test it and have also found it isn't too bulky or heavy to take on the road. You do also need to remember to save enough space in your car boot for the gas bottle too.

Making pizza

Once I placed the oven on my patio table, I was ready (and raring) to go. Igniting the oven is a simple process, similar to lighting a regular gas hob, and the flame can be easily controlled. There’s no thermometer built into the pizza oven, but the infrared thermometer that comes in the box is easy to use—simply point and shoot at the stone—voila!

Revolve recommends allowing the oven to heat while prepping your toppings for 25 minutes. I’ve used the pizza oven 3 times in various weather conditions and after around 20-25 minutes of prep, the stone temperature was always above the recommended 450°C.

Prepping the pizza itself was so much fun, but transferring the base onto the pizza peel had me breaking out in a sweat. I had a few tries, and there is definitely a knack for it, one confident shove worked better than a shimmy. I would really recommend to any beginners (like me) to have a few practice goes first with just the plain base, as there was a lot of cheese and toppings on my kitchen floor—but at least my dog was happy.

Transferring the pizza into the oven was another hurdle, and I made a real meal of my first few attempts trying to transfer the pizza while the stone was already turning. It’s definitely best to get the pizza in place on the stone and then flick the switch for the stone to turn. It does actually say in the manual to load without the stone revolving but I obviously got ahead of myself.

Once I got the hang of it, though, I loved how easy it was to use. There was no need to manually turn the pizza for an even bake—just flick the switch and watch it turn for 60 seconds until it's crisp—this is oddly satisfying. Another feature I loved is that even if my pizza wasn’t a perfect circle, the revolving base ensured it still cooked evenly.

I was so impressed with how evenly the pizza cooked—it was crisp with no soggy center and a perfect crust. I know the rest of the family was impressed too because I didn’t manage to take a photo of the results. By the time I picked up my phone, all that remained were the crumbs.

Was it a fluke? I experimented with a variety of toppings and found that you need to keep your toppings relatively flat. Any slices of pepperoni that were precariously placed got singed, and anything that protruded too much from the base tended to burn before the rest of the pizza was ready.

This is easily remedied, though, with a quick QC check before placing the pizza into the oven. There’s also about 15 seconds between crisp and burnt, so you need to keep an eye on your pizza and keep that pizza peel in your hand at all times - be ready to act fast.

Cleaning

Revolve recommends leaving the oven on “HIGH” and cooking off any debris for a good 10-15 minutes with the revolving function on to clean. This worked well to clear the stray toppings, and I was able to just wipe the ash away with a dry cloth once the oven had fully cooled.

However, I found the stone was still stained with black burn marks. Revolve recommends using their wire brush to remove the stains from the stone; however, this doesn’t come with the oven itself and costs an additional £39.99 from their website, which is a shame as I think if this is part of the cleaning process (even if it’s only cosmetic), it should be included with the product.

Should you buy the Revolve Pizza Oven?

While cooking pizza in a wood-fired oven certainly has charm, I’m happy to leave that to the professionals. The ease of having this oven ready to go in 15 minutes means that delicious pizza can still be a welcome treat after a long workday and isn't limited to those occasions where you have enough time to get a good fire going. I can also confidently say that the revolving base isn’t a gimmick—it’s actually my favourite thing about the Revolve.

While it’s still a significant investment if your daydreams also contain a home-cooked slice of stone-baked goodness, the Revolve pizza oven can certainly make those dreams come true.

Whether you fancy yourself a pizza aficiona-dough or you just want to get more bang for your buck, it’s well worth investing in pizza oven accessories that allow you to use your pizza oven year-round. After all, pizza doesn’t care about the weather.

Yes, many people (wrongly) assume that the best pizza ovens are a seasonal purchase. And while freshly-made pizzas are certainly a welcome addition to the summer months, nobody said you can’t use a pizza oven in the winter! In fact, if you want to get the most out of your pizza oven, you’ll be happy to know that you can use it come rain or shine - and even snow.

As Francesca Fay, Senior Brand Manager at Ooni Pizza Ovens, explains, ‘While everyone enjoys eating and cooking outdoors under the summer sun, don't let a cold snap deter you from outdoor cooking.’ To do this, you’ll need some accessories, and we've picked our favourites below. So, save a pizza for us…

1. Different pan options

While you may have the best pizza baking stone to use with your pizza oven, that doesn’t mean you can’t use different pan options as the months go by.

Francesca says, ‘During the cooler months, you might choose to experiment more with the diversity of dishes that you create in your pizza oven. Winter months beg for low and slow-roasted meat joints, fresh bread and vegetable bakes.’

To cook these foods in your pizza oven, you can make the most of pizza oven roasting pans, cast iron skillet pans, and so much more. At the moment, Ooni is the only brand that’s really offering these different pan options - but we predict more options will become available as pizza ovens continue to reign supreme.

And you can generally use all of the best cast iron cookware in pizza oven too.

2. Pizza oven cover

Whether you want to use your pizza oven in the dead of winter or wait to fire it up come spring, a pizza oven cover will be a lifesaver. As well as helping to store your pizza oven over winter, a pizza oven cover will also streamline your cooking process when you want to use it year-round.

If you don't cover it, youll have to head out into the garden 10 minutes before making your pizzas to brush off any winter debris, dry off any rain droplets, and perhaps even clean off bird droppings. And that’s probably not something you want to do when you’re hungry.

Francesca adds, ‘Protection is key for year round use! If you’re storing your oven outside, make sure to shield it with a cover after each use. By investing in a high quality cover, you're not only prolonging the life of your oven but also ensuring that it’s always ready to deliver perfect pizzas when you need it to.’

Just make sure that you choose one that fits your pizza oven perfectly.

3. Toppings station

If you are hankering for fresh pizza when it’s raining, grabbing a coat and protecting yourself from the downpour is easy. And while you could attempt to make your pizza indoors before transporting it outside, this probably won’t work in your favour. Nobody likes a soggy bottom, after all.

So, why not prepare your pizza toppings inside, pop them in your toppings station (ideally one with lids), and then make it seconds before you slide it into the fire?

These topping stations often have airtight, flip-top lids that keep your toppings fresh and protected from the elements - which means that you can leave them in the rain and on the counter of your outdoor kitchen for when you want to go back for seconds.

4. Different fuel options

If you want to use your pizza oven year-round, having a variety of different fuel options on offer is one tip you don’t want to miss - and not just to mix up the flavours of your pizza.

As you may know, different fuels have different heating times, and this can be a lifesaver when you want a quick pizza fix in the dead of winter. But in the summer, you probably have time to choose a slower burner. However, you will have to make sure you've invested in a dual-fuel source pizza oven in the first place like the Gozney Roccbox or Ooni Karu.

Stephen Talbot, sales director at Logs Direct explains, ‘For optimal temperatures, hardwood logs and briquettes typically need about 20-30 minutes to reach the optimum temperature that is perfect for a crisp, slightly charred Neapolitan crust. Pellets might get you there a bit faster, usually in 15-20 minutes.’

It’s also worth noting that if you do choose to buy logs, you’ll need to store them properly over the winter months to ensure they’re ready to be used as soon as possible.

Stephen says, ‘Pizza oven logs should be stored in a dry and ventilated area, away from moisture and pests. You can stack the logs in a woodpile or rack and cover them with a tarp to protect them from rain or snow.’

Alternatively, you could skip the logs or pellets altogether and opt for a gas-fired pizza oven instead. This normally takes around 15-20 minutes to heat up, so around the same time as pellets.

5. Stand with wheels

There are pizza oven stands… and then there are pizza oven stands with wheels. And while either is a great addition to your outdoor cooking setup, we’d always suggest buying a pizza oven stand with wheels if you want to use your pizza oven stand year-round.

Our Kitchen Appliances Editor (and pizza oven queen), Molly Cleary, is a big fan of her Gozney pizza oven stand. She says, ‘It means you can wheel it about (potentially under cover) if it starts to rain.’ In fact, this is particularly true if you have a pergola in your garden.

And even if it’s not raining during the winter months, you could still wheel it around the garden and follow the sun to pretend it’s still summer, and the wheels just offer up so many different opportunities to use your pizza oven when most people would assume that you wouldn’t.

6. If in doubt, opt for an indoor pizza oven

Although not technically an accessory, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs properly if we didn’t offer up alternative pizza ovens. After all, the pizza oven you choose can make a big difference as to whether you can use your oven year-round or not.

If you’re set on al fresco dining, Ninja's Woodfire Electric Outdoor Oven is a great option as it comes with a special RCD plug for protection from any electrical issues - which means you can still use it in the rain.

But if you can’t bear to go outside, why not opt for an indoor pizza oven instead? Yes, they exist! Molly has tested and loved the Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven - which can be used both inside and outside - and gave it a whopping 4.5 stars out of 5.

And while there aren’t a huge number of indoor pizza ovens out there, they are becoming more common. In fact, ProCook has just launched an indoor electric pizza oven air fryer - so you can also use it as one of the best air fryers, too.

FAQs

Can I use my pizza oven in the winter?

Yes, you can use a pizza oven in the winter! You can use a pizza oven throughout the year, but there are some adjustments you’ll need to make to be able to use a pizza oven safely and successfully. These are:

• Always place your pizza oven in a position where the wind hits the back of the oven rather than the front. This will aid heating and cooking rather than extinguish the flame.
• Aim to keep the pizza oven as dry as possible, so use a cover if possible.
• Don’t overload the pizza oven with fuel, as this can result in thermal shock. Instead, do this gradually.

What else can you put in a pizza oven?

Although you can use a pizza oven year-round, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to cook pizza in it. You can cook everything from your Sunday meat joint to fresh loaves of bread and vegetables in your pizza oven. In fact, anything you want to cook in a normal oven, you can also cook in a pizza oven.

So, will you be buying any of these accessories to use your pizza oven year round?

When the weather starts to turn and sunny summer days are replaced by rain and cold temperatures, knowing how to store pizza ovens in winter is key. After all, storing your pizza oven correctly will keep it in top form for years to come.

Yes, although the best pizza ovens on the market can be used year-round (especially with year-round accessories), it’s fair to say that most people use them less during winter. And while you could leave your pizza oven outside in the elements without any form of protection, it’s not advised.

As Joanna Humphreys, Fire and Stove Specialist at Direct Stoves explains, ‘When the temperature starts to drop and alfresco dining is no longer an option, it’s important to have a plan in place to maintain your pizza oven through the colder months.’ And this is how you can store pizza ovens in the winter.

1. Give it a clean

Storing a pizza oven in winter can protect it from damage and improve its lifespan, but before you do that, it’s best to clean it one last time. This will allow you to remove any lingering debris or residue and means that you can bring out a clean pizza oven when the weather changes again.

Joanna says, ‘For masonry pizza ovens, plain hot water and a stiff bristle brush is the best option for cleaning, and always leave to dry thoroughly before using again. However, for a steel pizza oven, a good brand of steel, BBQ or oven cleaning product will work just fine.’

While you’re at it, it’s well worth cleaning your pizza baking stone, too. So, keep some pizza oven cleaning brushes and microfibre clothes handy for this task.

2. Use a pizza oven cover

One of the things experts want you to know before buying a pizza oven is that it requires a fair amount of maintenance. And while many are designed to withstand high temperatures and exposure to the elements, they still require an extra level of protection. That’s where a pizza oven cover comes in.

These covers typically offer water, wind, UV, and even bug protection - which is particularly handy if you have no choice but to leave your pizza oven outside in the winter. Sometimes, you may find that your pizza oven comes with a cover as standard. In others, you may have to buy it separately.

The Ooni website echoes this, stating, ‘Ooni ovens are hearty, sure, but snow, sleet, rain, and hail can still pose a threat. If you’re using and storing your oven outside, protect it with a cover. Each oven has its own rigorously tested cover, specifically designed to keep your oven safe from the elements.'

If you’re buying a separate pizza oven cover to protect your pizza oven in winter, always double-check that it fits your make and model. If it doesn’t, it’s pointless.

3. Find the perfect location

Where you store your pizza oven in winter ultimately depends on what storage options you have available to you. So, here are a few of those options:

In the garden: If you have a patio or decking area, you can store a pizza oven there over winter. And, of course, you don’t have a choice if you’ve built your own brick pizza oven. In this instance, Joanna warns that pizza oven covers are key. She says, ‘For permanent outdoor ovens, such as those made from stone or brick, the best way to maintain them during the winter is by using a high-quality furniture cover. Be sure to measure carefully to ensure a perfect fit that will protect your oven from the elements.’

In the shed or garage: A shed or garage is the ideal place to store pizza ovens in winter, as it provides protection from the elements and will never get too cold. Alternatively, any garden storage idea will do. Joanna says, ‘For portable ovens, try to store them indoors to prevent cosmetic damage or rusting caused by winter weather. For added protection, consider investing in a cover to keep it secure while in storage.’

In the house: If you don’t have a garden or you don’t have any storage space elsewhere, storing your pizza oven in your home over winter is also a viable option. In fact, it’s a great option if you buy the Ooni Volt Electric Pizza oven - as this offering can be used both inside and outside. This could just be a temporary measure, too. The Ooni website says, ‘While your oven will be fine outside most of the time, if you know a big storm is coming, you should consider bringing your Ooni oven inside for the duration. That will keep it from taking on too much moisture or getting battered by heavy hail.’

FAQs

Can pizza ovens be left outside?

Yes, pizza ovens can be left outside if you don’t have the option to store it undercover. But if you want to maintain the quality and prevent damage when leaving a pizza oven outside, it’s best to invest in a high-quality pizza oven cover to protect it from the elements.

If you can, choose a pizza oven cover made specifically for your make and model. If you opt for a universal, unbranded pizza oven cover, though, just make sure that it fits and doesn’t leave any gaps for water to come through.

Can you use outdoor pizza oven in winter?

Yes, absolutely! Although most people tend to avoid going outside during the winter months, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use your pizza oven in winter. It can be used year-round, as long as you take measures to ensure your pizza oven works efficiently during these colder temperatures.

For starters, you should aim to brush or wipe off any moisture or debris that has accumulated on your pizza oven during the colder and wetter months.

As you can imagine, it also takes longer for your pizza oven to heat up in the winter, so you’ll need to be patient and wait for it to pre-heat before using it. You should aim to pre-heat your outdoor pizza oven slowly during the winter, too, to prevent stone shock.

Well, there you have it. That’s how you store pizza ovens in winter. How will you be storing yours?

An indoor pizza oven is my dream kitchen appliance, however, indoor pizza ovens often come with a significant price tag. So when I spotted that ProCook was launching a pizza oven air fryer for under £200 I had to do a double take.

Most of the best pizza ovens, whether for indoor or outdoor use, usually cost upwards of £300. The Sage and Ooni indoor pizza ovens cost over £700, and the most affordable indoor pizza oven I've come across online is the Cuisinart which still costs £299.99 at John Lewis. That makes the ProCook electric pizza oven air fryer a steal at £199.

The new electric pizza oven air fryer is part of ProCook's venture into kitchen appliances. Across the Ideal Home team, we have tested the kettle, toaster, milk frother and air fryer health grill from ProCook and have been very impressed by the quality and affordable price tag. I'm hoping that the electic pizza oven air fryer is no different as it has all the features to compete with the more expensive indoor pizza ovens.

The oven promised to cook perfect wood-fired style 12-inch pizzas at home. It comes equipped with a pizza stone and can reach temperatures of 400 degrees (matching Sage and Cuisinart) to achieve this.

If you're not as obsessed with pizza as I am I can understand that you might be hesitant to hand over 33cm of your precious worktop space to a pizza oven. However, as the name suggests the Electric Pizza Oven Air Fryer also works as a standard air fryer. It has 20 cooking modes including air fryer, roast, grill, toast, bake, warm, defrost and dehydrate. There are also a couple more targetted settings for cooking frozen pizza, cookies and meat joints.

To help convert the pizza oven into one of the best air fryers too, it comes fully equipped with a stainless steel baskets, bottom tray, wire rack and a cast iron griddle.

The pizza oven has a lot in common with the oven-style air fryers that are starting to land in the UK market from the US. I have previously tested out the Our Place Wonder Oven which is a similar style to the ProCook electric pizza oven and would recommend this style of air fryer. I enjoyed the window view and cooking space the racks offered.

The ProCook electric pizza oven doesn't launch until September, but as soon as it does we're hoping to get our hands on one to do a full review so watch this space.

Gozney has released a new collection of pizza oven designs, created in collaboration with kitchen brand Hedley & Bennett, that capture the beauty of sunset and sunrises with bold new colours. If you're a fan of maximalist garden decor, I think you'll love it.

The collection, available from the Gozney website from the 7th of August, is a showstopper. The design of the best pizza ovens can be colour-shy at the best of times, which is where this range, packed full of terracotta and teal hues, really stands out.

Along with the help of the Ideal Home team, I've tested a range of Gozney pizza ovens, and as detailed in our Gozney Arc review, I reckon that this is the best brand for combining design and performance.

To back up my claim I do own a Gozney pizza oven, but this new colourful collection has me wishing I'd waited to buy mine from the new range.

Gozney's new collaboration with Hedley Bennett

This limited edition collection is bound to be a popular one, with the hype around Gozney ovens so high that there was a waiting list of thousands when the Gozney Arc launched earlier this year.

The crowning jewel in the collection is the Arcl XL 'Mash-Up', available for £749.99 from the brand's website. There will only be one hundred of these sold worldwide, each of them individually numbered, so if you want to collect a piece of pizza oven history, now's your chance.

The design of the Mash-Up which blends turquoise with rust across the entire exterior of the oven, is bound to become the centrepiece of anyone's outdoor kitchen ideas.

Tom Gozney, founder of the brand, is certainly proud of the new looks for these ovens, saying 'This collection truly combines both of our takes on product design and elevates it from either side. It’s bright, fun, playful and unlike anything else out there in this space.'

In total, the collection is comprised of three versions of the Arc XL oven, the Pro Peel, a cover, two aprons and a cap. So now all that's left to decide is which piece is your favourite.

The Great British summer has finally decided to show us a glimmer of hope, which means we're heading straight outside to the garden to soak up the sunshine. If you're doing the same, why not make things even better by turning your hand to pizza making, with this fantastic deal on the Ooni Fyra in the brand's summer sale giving you the chance to shop this top-rated oven for way less.

The Fyra, which is usually £299.00, is now £239.20 at Ooni for a limited time only. As detailed in our Ooni Fyra review (5 stars were awarded, naturally), we think this is the best pizza oven on the market if you want that wood-fired, authentic flavour.

Here's a look at why we loved this oven so much when we tested it, and why if there's one thing you invest in this heatwave, it should be this.

Why the Ooni Fyra is our pick of the Ooni Summer Sale

Our hard to impress reviewer and home economist struggled to find anything bad to say about the Ooni Fyra after she tried it, remarking that 'it feels like there's nothing it can't do'. During her tests, she found that starting from scratch with this oven was a breeze, even without having used an Ooni before.

She turned out everything from garlic pizza breads to scorched potatoes with the Fyra, and even enjoyed the effort that goes into starting up the fire and feeding it.

The other thing she loved about the Ooni Fyra was how compact and portable it was, meaning there's no need to have to carve out an entire zone in your garden for it. Instead, you can just place it on a good sturdy surface and get stuck in with rolling your dough!

The price is another draw. This is Ooni's cheapest oven; now, thanks to the brand's summer sale, it is even cheaper. That means if you've been waiting for a while to strike, now is the time!

So, once your oven is all fired up, all that'll be left is to pick out your pizza toppings!

If you, like us, are trying to bring nicer weather into existence by still indulging in your favourite warm weather things, then this Gozney Roccbox deal on one of the best pizza ovens we've tried might be just the glimpse of sunlight you need.

Just ahead of this year's Amazon Prime Day, which is running on the 16th and 17th of July, Gozney is slashing the price of its portable pizza oven the Roccbox by 20%, taking it from £399.99 to £319.00 at Amazon.

The Roccbox is one of our highest-rated pizza ovens after testing dozens of them, with our Gozney Roccbox pizza oven review packed full of details about why this is a great starter oven. With that in mind, here's why the brand's summer sale is worth your attention.

Gozney's Summer Special sale

If you haven't heard of Gozney before, then welcome into a world of meticulously made pizza ovens with remarkable designs, from the Gozney Dome to the brand new (and fantastically rated by us) Gozney Arc.

This year, Gozney's summer sale is focusing in on two of the brand's bestsellers: the Roccbox, which can make 12-inch pizzas, and the Dome S1, which is a reenvisioned version of the Dome, an oven we've also tried and loved. The Dome S1 is much bigger than the Roccbox and can craft pizzas up to 16 inches wide.

I tested the Roccbox last summer, and can't imagine a better oven to start my pizza-making journey with. Setting it up was so simple, and the foldable legs and carry case means I've successfully taken the oven to friend's houses, as well as to the beach for a pizza evening.

I really enjoyed using the wood burner attachment for a real authentic experience, while the gas burner is supremely efficient if you need to churn pizzas out to a waiting crowd.

Alternatively, if you're looking to upgrade to a bigger and better oven than the one you currently have, 20% off on the Dome S1 might appeal more. We loved the original Dome when we tested it, which has the versatility to really make an outdoor kitchen the real deal.

We're hoping with all we've got that the weather will make a turnaround soon. If it does, then this is the pizza oven deal we're going to be snapping up immediately.

Electric BBQs stole the limelight last year, but this summer it's all about the Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven. While most of the best pizza ovens require an outdoor space and the right weather, this indoor oven promises to help craft restaurant-grade pizza (depending on how good you get!) from your kitchen. It's quite the promise, and with a very damp summer predicted, it's an appliance that could come in very handy indeed.

It's a tremendously expensive buy, with a price tag of £944.00. It's also hefty, and not easy to stash away. But for those who don't have a garden but would love a pizza oven, it's a chance to get in on the party properly for the first time.

I've been trying out the Volt for the last few months and have been amazed by how easy it is to use inside my tiny London flat. This is how this oven has made fantastic pizza possible for me without a garden.

Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven specs

• Fuel: Electric
• Power cord length: 115cm
•  Weight: 18kg
• Pizza size: 12 inch
• Preheat time: 450°C in 20 minutes
• Dimensions: 69.7cm x 63.5cm x 36.4cm

Unboxing and first impressions of the Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven

The Ooni Volt may be an indoor pizza oven, but it's not small by any measure. Our top-rated pizza oven ever, the Ooni Fyra, is used outdoors, and though it has a real height to it thanks to its chimney, it weighs 8kg less than the Volt.

So if you're envisioning this is the type of appliance you can use on the weekend and then stash away in the cupboard under your worktop, think again. Until I have the kitchen appliance garage of my dreams, I will struggle to store this oven.

That's why manoeuvring this box up the stairs to my first-floor flat when it arrived was a bit of a workout. If you can rope in a partner to help you with it, your back might thank you.

The oven comes with instructions on set up, and if you don't already have one, you'll need a pizza peel for launching your creations through the door. On its website, Ooni sells a peel of the appropriate size for £40.00.

Set up is pretty much instanteous. For day to day use, all you need to do is plug it in, switch the button on the right hand side to on, then press the 'power' symbol on the front panel and use the dials there to control the temperature and timer.

On my first use, I diligently followed the instructions to season the oven, which involves letting it get up to its highest temperature (which takes 20 minutes), then letting it cool. Then I powered it up once more to get cracking with pizzas.

In terms of design, the Ooni Volt is simple to wrap your head around. You have the cordierite pizza stone inside, and the door featuring a glass window to check on your pizzas as they cook. There's an internal light too, which means you can have full control of what's happening inside at any time of the day. The body of the Volt is powder-coated carbon steel, and the door is finished with stainless steel. It looks pretty smart on the whole, if not a little black box-y.

I've used the Ooni Volt several times now, both for an at-home lunch and for a pizza party. With a pizza topping station set up side-by-side, it takes up pretty much my dining entire table if I'm hosting, but on balance, it's great user-friendly appliance that everyone who is there for dinner can have a go at using.

Cooking with the Ooni Volt

For my first spin with the Ooni Volt, I made my own dough, which I think is all part of the fun. The Volt can fit 12 inch pizzas, so I set out shaping a pie of that size. I started out with a simple garlic bread, with the oven heating in the meantime.

I really like the timer feature on the Volt, which I set to 20 minutes, as it's perfect for reminding you to check on the temperature of the oven with its beeps. I was amazed at how quickly the temperature inside the oven amped up, and within the allocated 20 minutes, the optimum temperature of 450°C had been reached.

This is definitely the easiest set up of any pizza oven I've ever tried, as this is the first electric type I've tested. Though I was (needlessly) anxious about tripping the electricity and starting a fire, there were no such dramas. The oven just quietly and capably got up to temperature. And even though it's important not to store anything on the oven and to set it on a heatproof surface, I didn't find the oven got too hot to approach or have hands near.

So, with my garlic bread ready I launched it into the Volt, shut the door and watched it with awe from the outside. It's great fun to watch the crusts rise and the cheese melt inside, and the sheer power of the oven is quite the thing to behold.

Even though I had accidentally selected a strange type of mozzarella for my garlic bread, after just 90 seconds the bread was done and ready to eat. I fished it out of the Volt using my peel, which was very easy as it slots inside perfectly, and sliced up the garlic bread to eat. It tasted great and though my novice pizza making skills could definitely use some work, it was also a fun evening activity.

Feeling inspired by how easy the first pizza was, I set out to make a few more. Next up, in an effort not to overload (something I learnt about in our guide on how to get the most from your pizza oven), I opted for a simple mozzarella.

My dough was a little too inflexible for me to stretch it out as large as I wanted to, but the finished product was still delicious, and the base of the pizza cooked just as well as the top.

I was amazed at how easy it had been to get started and cook with the Volt. No fiddling around with gas or loading up a hopper, you can just get straight to throwing the pizzas in. It certainly makes a pizza party easier to organise.

For my last pizza of this batch I topped with salami and waited for the magic to happen, which it did, leaving me with a delicious end product.

The only issue I encountered throughout the process was that any excess cheese that spills over the sides of the pizza, or loose toppings, will burn on the exceptionally hot stone, meaning there's a fair bit of smoke.

In the summer, when I was testing this oven, it was fine to have the windows wide open, but in the winter when I tried it previously I did struggle with my smoke alarm after something burnt onto the stone, so keep ventilation in mind when the Volt is in use.

I live in a flat, so while I'm perfect to test out the indoor advantages of the Volt, I haven't tried it outside. But it is designed for outdoor use too, and has an outdoor-safe plug. If you want an indoor oven for most of the year but want to cease on any sunshine that the British summer offers us, it's a good failsafe option.

Cleaning the Ooni Volt

The Ooni Volt needs time to cool down once you're done with it. The brand recommends turning off the appliance at the panel but then keeping it plugged in without flicking the switch on the right hand side, in order to allow the internal mechanisms to cool the inside of the oven.

Once the oven is fully cool (I waited several hours), I cleared any debris left inside using a clean cloth. As detailed in our explainer on how to clean a pizza baking stone, it's important not to get the stone wet at any point, and instead, Ooni recommends simply flipping the stone over and cooking on the other side during its next outing. Any residue will burn off the other side the next time you use it.

How does it compare to similar pizza ovens?

The top-rated pizza ovens from Ooni we've tried thus far have all been outdoor. One of our favourites is the Ooni Karu, which is multi-fuel (meaning it can run on gas and wood). It puts on a mightily impressive performance, and when using pellets, you'll get that authentic wood-fired flavour too. It's not as easy to set up as the Volt though, and can't be used indoors. It comes in at a more affordable price too, with an RPP of £699.

Another electric pizza oven that's proved hugely popular is the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven. Ninja's big selling point is how easy its appliances are to use, and that's certainly the case with Woodfire. Our expert reviewer said she would buy it for the pizza function alone, but it can also roast joints of meat, smoke and bake. Our reviewer used it to bake brownies. Though we think it's a star buy, it is not suitable for use indoors, which is where the Ooni Volt is so groundbreaking.

Should you buy the Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven?

The Ooni Volt is pricey, but it's also the only pizza oven I've ever been able to try out inside, and as someone who lives in a garden-less flat, that simple fact goes a long way.

It's so easy to use, and there's essentially no time needed to get the hang of using it. All of the pizzas I cooked were fantastically done and I had no issue getting the oven up to temperature and keeping it there. The smoke element may put some people off, but if you have a better ventilated kitchen than I do, or can afford to keep your windows propped open, it probably isn't a dealbreaker.

Pizza lovers who already have an outdoor oven but want a quick and easy set up they can use indoors will also love the Ooni Volt. It's a thing of wonder to be able to create pizzas this good in your own kitchen, if you're willing to fork out for it.

With the advent of summer tantalisingly close, days of al fresco dining are just on the horizon. And what could be better than munching on a professional-style pizza that you just cooked in your outdoor kitchen? Oh, we know – making said pizza in an affordable way without the need for a pizza oven.

As much as we love pizza ovens, they don’t come cheap by any means, with the most affordable setting you back by £250, a figure that can stretch to thousands of pounds for some of the best pizza ovens on the market.

So if you don’t have the necessary funds (or space) available for a Stanley Tucci-style dreamy outdoor kitchen set-up but still want to enjoy a restaurant-level homemade pizza, there are other (and more affordable) ways to do so. Here are 3 of the best...

3 products for making pizza without a pizza oven

'Making pizza at home doesn't necessarily mean you need a pizza oven,’ confirms Molly Cleary, Ideal Home’s Kitchen Appliances Editor. ‘Though pizza ovens from the likes of Ooni and Gozney have the high heat needed to make the process easy, you can mimic the art with one of these clever substitutes, even if the results aren't exactly the same calibre.’

So without further ado, these are the products to help you make a restaurant-grade pizza at home without a full-on pizza oven – all priced under £35.

Lidl Grillmeister BBQ Pizza Oven

Lidl’s barbecue pizza oven is a solid fan favourite, which sells out every year. Launching in stores on Sunday 2nd June this year, it’s set to fly off the shelves even faster as its price has been lowered by £5 from £39.99 to £34.99.

In order to make use of the Lidl Grillmeister BBQ Pizza Oven, you will need to attach it to your best BBQ – and it’s compatible with any gas or charcoal barbecues. The attachment is fitted with a thermostat so that you can easily control the temperature, as well as a removable pizza stone.

ProCook Rectangular Pizza Stone with Rack

Speaking of pizza stones, ProCook’s pizza stone with a rack, which is currently available for only £12, is designed to help you achieve the perfect pizza every time. All you need is a working oven.

Made from ceramic, much like traditional pizza ovens you see in restaurants, the material aids in retaining heat in order to create a perfectly crispy base. And once you pull it out of the oven, you can serve the pizza on the stone with the help of the provided metal rack as the stone will keep the pizza warm for the next 30 minutes.

Home-Complete Cast Iron Pizza Pan

Similar to the ProCook pizza stone, Home-Complete’s Cast Iron Pizza Pan, available on Amazon for £33.65 can also work in tandem with an oven or a BBQ to deliver the ideal pizza result. Offering a round surface of the best cast iron cookware measuring 14 inches, this durable pizza pan heats up evenly to high temperatures to properly cook the pizza base through.

One Amazon reviewer wrote, ‘I got this primarily for pizzas, so I haven't tried it for anything else ... yet. It gets hot, very hot, but that's kinda the point. So how does it work for pizzas? At last, fully cooked, crispy bases! It works great with fresh, frozen and home made. If you're tired of soggy pizza bases, then you should give this a try!’

Finally, Molly adds one further recommendation not included in our round-up. ‘Another highly recommended option I've seen after sleuthing around on pizza making forums is the Ferrari G3 (£135.00 at Amazon), which gets a lot of love from users. All of these options go to show that pizza making is possible at different price points if you know where to look.'

If you're looking for pizza oven deals, perhaps as a route to securing a cheap pizza oven, we don't blame you. One of the best pizza ovens is a surefire way to brighten up your garden, but boy can they get pricey.

That's why we've created this edit of all of the current pizza oven deals you need to know about. We're talking discounts from the likes of Ooni, Gozney, Ninja and more, all of which will make this outdoor essential that bit cheaper.

We've picked out the pizza oven deals that we think you need to know about first, based on our own tried and tested experience of them, so that we're recommending ovens we know you'll love. Without further ado, get ready to meet your new oven for the summer.

Pizza oven deals August 2026

Today's best pizza oven deals

• Gozney: big discounts thanks to Summer Sales Event, including on the Roccbox
• Ooni: save big on Ooni's pizza oven bundles on the Karu!
• Ninja: save big on the Ninja Woodfire Oven and receive a free pizza oven stand!
• Solo Stove: it's certainly very stylish - the Pi Pizza Oven is now £50 off

Today's best cheap pizza ovens

Pizza oven deals

Pizza oven deals shopping advice

Pizza ovens are one of those things that don't go on sale all too often, so being super informed about how to shop for pizza oven deals is important. The most crucial thing is to do your research before and work out a few things, including the type of fuel you want your oven to run off, its size and the accessories that come with your purchase. Seeing which brand you're most keen on and then signing up to their mailing list is another good tip.

If you're on a budget but still want to secure a cheap pizza oven deal, then waiting for certain sales events to roll around is another good tip. Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday are a good place to start.

Before you invest, another thing that's essential to do is check prices across retailers. Many of the top-rated pizza ovens are sold across multiple stores, so be sure to do your homework to make sure you're getting the cheapest possible price.

When to shop

Lots of the big pizza oven names (like Gozney and Ooni) will host sales events in the run-up to summer, so look out for those sales periods in order to capitalise. Last year Gozney also hosted a Father's Day event, and Ooni also have Ooni Day, which in 2024 falls on the 18th of May!

How we source the top pizza oven deals

We know our stuff about pizza ovens because we've tested a whole bunch of them, which you can read more about on our how we test page.

To put this pizza oven deals edit together, we've factored in the team's hands-on experience with different ovens, because we only want to recommend products to you that we've actually tried ourselves so that we know they're reputable.

FAQs

Why are pizza ovens so expensive?

Pizza ovens are engineered to reach extremely high temperatures, so they have special constructions that are not cheap, a fact we delved into when we investigated how a pizza oven works. Beyond that, there's also the fact that specialist kit with a pizza oven will go a long way, including a pizza peel. With those things added in, the costs will start to rack up!

My role as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor comes with some perks - the best yet might be the chance to write this Gozney Arc review.

It's not just the fact that I'm already a big fan of the best pizza ovens that made me keen to take the Arc for a spin, but also the fact that I'd written our first look at this oven and learned about all of the features that make it, in Gozney's words, 'the world's most advanced pizza oven'.

That's a bold claim, and as a lover of all things cooking and food and outdoor escapades, I couldn't have been more excited to see how the Arc measured up. Here's how I got on.

Gozney Arc product specs

• Fuel: Gas
• Hose: 120 cm
• Weight: 21.5 Kg
• Pizza size: 14 inch
• Preheat time: 30 minutes
• Oven external dimensions: Width 480mm (18.9") x Depth 564mm (22.2") x Height 342mm (13.5")
• Oven internal dimensions: Width 377mm (14.8”) x Depth 462mm (18.1”) x Height 173mm (6.8”)
• Warranty: 5 years if you buy direct from Gozney

First impressions and unboxing the Gozney Arc

I've tested an oven from this brand before, as detailed in my Gozney Roccbox review and found the experience of using that particular oven to be seamless, even when loading in wood pellets to the hopper on a winter's evening. The brand, named after Tom Gozney, is also based in Bournemouth, which happens to be my hometown, so the stars aligned for me to get my hands on this oven.

The Arc takes inspiration from the success of the Gozney Dome and compacts many of those elements down into this gas-powered oven. The Dome and the Arc have similar looks, but the Dome is dual-fuel. If you want to supersize your Arc, the Arc XL, which makes 16'' pizzas, is available for £699.99 from Gozney.

There are brand new elements to the Arc to impress with, including the arrival of controls that allow you to control the rolling flame to a minute degree, as well as a digital temperature gauge that lets you know exactly when to launch your pizza.

The Dome is a big, imposing oven, but the Arc is actually fairly small, whilst still having a huge cooking space for 14'' pizzas inside. It's a true tardis and simply looks phenomenal as well. The relaxed beige colour and fine details are all inch-perfect, and worlds apart from the look of more traditional, rustic at-home pizza ovens, like the Ooni Fyra. It definitely brings a new design edge to the world of mainstream outdoor cooking.

Unboxing the Arc was a piece of cake. The top of the box is lifted off to reveal the instruction manual and the oven bundled in polystyrene. Lift this off and you'll find the Arc, which you can then manoeuver onto its stand, or a heatproof surface.

Gozney very kindly sent me the Arc stand, available for £249.99 from the Gozney website, which is a thing of beauty in its own right, with wooden wings on either side for serving or to host your pizza peel. It's just the perfect height for getting the pizzas in and out, and the Arc screwed on to the top in a second. This is a two-person job though, so any solo pizzaolos out there might need to rethink the initial assembly.

The Arc itself is pretty much good to go from the minute you get it out of the box. All I needed to do was add on the flute outlet at the top, attach the gas canister and pop in the batteries for the temperature gauge and the gas ignitor.

The design of the Arc stand means that you don't have to worry about stray hoses or where to put your canister, as there's a tray at the bottom for both. As far as pizza stand ideas go, this particular one has everything covered. It's also equipped with wheels on each leg, which means you can whizz it around your patio to wherever you like.

Once set up, you can peer inside the Arc and see just how much space there is for cooking. There's no door, but the cavernous design of the Arc, according to the brand, means that heat will stay inside anyway.

To the right you'll find the gas control dial and in the centre is your digital thermometer, which tells you where on the scale of optimal-pizza-making-temperature you are currently sitting. As well as being super practical, it's a thing of beauty!

The last step to getting started with this oven is to undertake its first firing. This is when you let it burn it a medium to low flame for 30 minutes to help cure the oven. It's something you'll only need to do once.

Then, all I needed to do was ignite the oven and let it get up to temperature. The LED temperature gauge is genius, and I love that you can switch from Celsius to Fahrenheit so easily using it. It makes getting the pizza oven ready a hands-free operation - so I went into the kitchen to prep the dough while the oven got up to speed.

Making pizza with the Gozney Arc

Different levels of involvement come with owning a pizza oven - if you want a more relaxed experience you can always pick up premade dough, or even order it from the Gozney website to arrive with your oven, so you can get going straightaway.

While that method is foolproof, I love getting stuck in and making pizza dough. I've tried a few recipes now, but I always come back to Gozney's overnight dough recipe for properly puffed-up crusts.

So, once my dough was kneaded and separated and ready, I fired up the Arc, which I found took around 30 minutes to get to the optimal temperature. That gave me plenty of time to sort out my toppings and stretch my dough out. I still haven't mastered the art of making a perfectly round pizza, even after testing a few ovens now, but I'm getting a little better.

Gozney kindly kitted me out good and proper with a placement peel (£75.00), turning peel (£69.99), a pizza cutter (£40.00) and a serving platter (£39.00). Every single one of these items was supremely helpful, and made my pizza party run much more smoothly. The only downside is that the cost of the whole shebang is bound to add up pretty quickly, and the cost of the oven in the first place is not insignificant.

First up on the stone, using all of my Gozney gear, was a garlic pizza bread. Something I learnt from our ever-wise expert Helen McCue in her feature on getting the most from a pizza oven was to use semolina to dust my pizza peel before popping my dough on. It means that the pizza moves off of the peel with ease.

The first pizza, much like pancake counterparts, always needs a little work, but the taste of this garlic bread was divine, despite the slight burning. Sliding the dough off the peel onto the oven was easy, and from there, I had a go with the rolling flame controls, which is when the charring incident happened. Undeterred, I set off with my next pizza, topped with salami.

The heavier your pizza gets as you weigh it down with toppings, the trickier the base will be to manoeuvre, so keep the extravagance low if you're just starting out. This particular pizza wasn't too heavy, and as soon as it was in the Arc, the crust puffed up gloriously.

I turned this pizza once halfway through the cooking process, which takes mere minutes, and the results were glorious. Even better, despite now being on my second pizza, the heat of the Arc hadn't dipped at all, so it was instantly ready to go for my next pizza, which was loaded up with mushrooms, olives and ham.

All in all I cooked six pizzas in quick succession with the Arc, and each was as delectable as the one before, with no need to wait until I fired in the next one. It was so easy to turn the pizzas inside the cavern with the help of the smaller turning peel, and the side tables made serving up easy too.

Seeing as the oven was still hot even after our pizzas, I also added a few vegetable and halloumi skewers to the oven, which charred deliciously. Experiments like this show there's much more you cook do with a pizza oven than you might think!

Cleaning the Gozney Arc

The secret to cleaning a pizza stone? Use the heat of the oven itself by gradually heating up the stone next time you want to cook with it, and burn off any excess from the last round before you start again.

This is certainly my method at least, and the fact that Gozney sanctions it makes me feel better - the official advice from the brand is this: 'To clean the stone, we would recommend leaving this on full flame for 60 minutes which will then burn off any residue on the stone.'

With an oven this beautiful, you'll want to keep it looking pristine, and wiping the external parts of the oven with a wet cloth will do that job just fine. I then bundle my Arc up in its lovely cover (£49.99 from Gozney) and leave it outdoors on its stand.

How does the Gozney Arc compare to predecessors and competitors?

The Arc is expensive yes, but it offers unrivalled access to a straightforward pizza making experience at home, and can add a whole new social zone to your garden too. If you'd prefer something portable, a little less expensive, or if you'd prefer a wood burning option, the Gozney Roccbox may be the one for you instead, but I do feel the Arc is a better long term option for a garden.

Alternatively, if you want a garden buy that's somehow even easier to set up, then the electric Ninja Woodfire Oven may appeal. It has a tonne of functions packed in, but our expert reviewer said that she'd buy it for the pizza oven capability alone.

If budget is your main concern, then you can't go wrong with the wood-fired Ooni Fyra, which we gave five stars in our review. You can usually get it on sale for around the £250 mark.

Should you buy the Gozney Arc pizza oven?

The only thing I don't love about the Gozney Arc is the price because, at £599, it is a mountain to climb if you're on a budget. Despite the massive price tag, I've still been showing everyone I can just how gorgeous this oven is, and I can't wait to try more pizzas in it this summer.

It's quite simply a dream to set up, and means you can focus on the fun part of a pizza party rather than worrying about feeding your oven with more wood pellets.

I was worried I'd lose that woodfired taste that I loved when I tested the Woody Pizza Oven, but the rolling flame element means that you can still get the same look to your pizzas, even if it's missing the authentic flavour. If the only thing I can complain about here is the price, it's fair to say that Gozney has cracked it with the Arc. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Looking to grab a slice of the pizza oven action? We don’t blame you. We’re huge fans of pizza ovens at Ideal Home and would encourage everyone to add this garden gadget to their outside space. But we also know that there are many things experts want you to know before buying a pizza oven.

Yes, although the best pizza ovens offer the chance to cook restaurant-standard pizzas from the comfort of your own garden, the pizza oven world can be complicated. This outdoor kitchen appliance isn’t a one-size-fits-all product, which means it’s incredibly easy to buy the wrong one. This can leave you feeling underwhelmed - and nobody wants to be underwhelmed when pizza is involved, right?

To ensure you’re making the right decision and choosing the right pizza oven for your needs and requirements, we’ve put together everything you should know before buying a pizza oven. After all, it’s not an investment you should take lightly.

Things you should know before buying a pizza oven

While knowing how a pizza oven works can make owning one much easier, certain steps should be considered before buying one. Below, we’ve outlined five things experts want you to know before buying one of these nifty garden gadgets.

1. Certain pizza ovens suit certain people

There are so many different shapes, sizes, and styles of pizza ovens out there - from the rustic Gozney Arc to the classic Ooni Fyra and the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven. Because of this, it can be easy to lean towards buying the cheapest or the most stylish. But this could result in you purchasing the wrong pizza oven.

Rich Payne from Dough & Behold explains, ‘The most important point is working out what you want to do with your oven, and what kind of oven user you will be. Do you want a centrepiece oven that will stay fixed in your garden? Or would you prefer something more portable that will work well for family pizzas at home, but is also small enough to stow away in your car for family adventures and camping trips?’

If you’re looking for a statement piece, you can afford to opt for a bigger style that will bowl over your guests with its design. You could even go for a built-in pizza oven if you’re that way inclined.

But if you’re looking for something that’s practical, a smaller pizza oven would suit you better. This is supported by Dennis Littley, a fine dining chef and owner of askchefdennis.com.

He says, ‘While it's tempting to go for the biggest pizza oven you can find, consider your space and usage. A smaller oven heats up faster and is more efficient for cooking a few pizzas, while a larger one might be overkill for a casual pizza night.’

Because of this, it’s important to weigh up your needs before buying a pizza oven, and then compare the specs of your favourite models to see whether they’re compatible. And if you’re specifically looking for an Ooni pizza oven, our guide on which Ooni pizza oven you should buy can help, too.

In some cases, you might not even need a pizza oven at all. After all, you can cook pizzas on an egg BBQ if you really wanted to. But if this is something you're considering, it's important to understand the 6 things experts want you to know before buying an egg BBQ.

2. Different fuel types = different flavours

A major perk of having your own pizza oven is that you can have professional-quality meals in the comfort of your own home (well, garden). But one thing you might not realise is that pizza ovens come in various different fuel types.

You can buy a wood-fired pizza oven, a gas-fired pizza oven, or an electric pizza oven, or you could get the perks of wood AND gas with a multi-fuel pizza oven. Of course, you may have your own preferences in terms of the fuel type, but it’s also important to note that this fuel type can actually affect the taste and the overall cooking of the pizza.

From his own experience, Rich has found his sweet spot in the gas-fired pizza oven category. He says, ‘If you intend on having lots of pizza parties for friends and family, I’d say gas is the best bet, you get a more consistent bake.’

However, gas-fired pizza ovens might not give you the taste that you so desire, which is why Dennis would lean more towards wood-fired pizza ovens. He explains, ‘Beyond convenience, the type of fuel you choose can significantly impact the taste of your pizza.’

‘Wood-fired ovens impart a smoky, authentic flavour, while gas ovens offer consistency and control. Electric ovens are efficient and easy to use, but some argue they lack the character of wood or gas.’

So, decide what's more important to you and then go from there.

3. Brick is an option, but not very practical

When talking about the best pizza ovens, it’s easy to focus on portable pizza ovens you can buy from brands such as Ooni, Gozney, Ninja, Delvita, and more. But there is another alternative: a permanent brick pizza oven.

You can actually build a brick pizza oven yourself, and the end result can make your outdoor kitchen look extremely expensive. However, it’s important to note that most brick pizza ovens aren’t very practical, and most experts would advise against them.

‘Brick pizza ovens exude charm and tradition, but they require more space, maintenance, and expertise to operate,’ explains Dennis.

This sentiment is echoed by Rich, who finds that brick pizza ovens don’t suit most people’s busy lifestyles. He says, ‘If you want to go even more expensive with a brick oven, then go for it, but bear in mind, to heat these up properly, you need to light them 2-4 hours before making pizza.’

‘This sounds ok, but sometimes you want pizza in a hurry, and when all the Ooni pizza ovens (and Gozney’s) heat up to 400°c - 500°c in less than 30 minutes, you might just be tempted to get one of those instead!’

4. Maintenance is essential

When you buy a car, you commit to maintaining its MOT and service history. And while buying a pizza oven isn’t quite as intense as buying some new wheels, you still have to commit to the maintenance that comes with this outdoor accessory.

Dennis says, ‘Owning a pizza oven isn't all about making delicious pizza; it also involves regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure optimal performance and longevity.’

‘From removing ash and debris to inspecting and repairing any cracks or wear, taking care of your oven is essential for consistent results. And it's so important you do this to make sure the oven lasts as long as possible!’

Of course, while cleaning the pizza oven itself is important, it’s also essential to keep on top of the smaller accessories. That’s why we’d always encourage cleaning your pizza baking stone. And if you have an Ooni pizza oven, we even have a specific guide on how to clean an Ooni baking stone.

5. Don’t expect perfection the first time

When you buy a brand-new pizza oven and the best pizza oven accessories to go with it, it can be hard to contain your excitement. While these pizza ovens do give you the chance to make your own restaurant-standard pizzas at home, it’s important to understand that using a pizza oven can be tricky.

Because of this, you may go through a difficult stage where you’re either undercooking or overcooking your pizzas and struggling to get to grips with the temperature. Thankfully, this is totally normal.

Rich explains, ‘Each oven comes with a learning curve, so don’t expect to master pizza making immediately. Take notes when you make pizza, learn your oven’s sweet spots, and you can make great pizzas in most portable ovens.’

This sentiment is echoed by Dennis, who suggests buying a few pizza oven accessories to help you out. ‘Achieving the perfect pizza requires precise temperature control. While traditional brick ovens can reach high temperatures quickly, portable ovens may require more time and effort to maintain consistent heat,’ he says.

‘Invest in tools like infrared thermometers to monitor temperature and ensure evenly cooked pizzas every time. And don't be disheartened; chances are the first 20 pizzas you cook will be rubbish! Stick at it, though.’

Of course, if you still can’t get on with your pizza oven, it may be a good idea to consider other variables, too - like your dough, for example.

Rich says, ‘You may have the greatest pizza oven in the world, but if your dough is bad, no oven can improve this! So be prepared to learn how to make your own dough!’

The best pizza ovens - our top picks

FAQs

Is it a good idea to invest in a pizza oven?

If you love the taste of restaurant-style pizzas or you just love to entertain and host family gatherings, a pizza oven is definitely worth the investment.

However, it’s important to note that using a pizza oven can be tricky, and the ongoing costs to fuel a pizza oven are something you need to consider. But if you believe that you’ll get a lot of use out of it, it’s easy to overlook these slight niggles.

Are cheap pizza ovens worth it?

Although many supermarkets and cheaper brands offer extremely affordable pizza ovens, you should take caution when buying a cheap pizza oven. After all, when you buy cheap, you often buy twice.

While we understand the need to keep costs down, we’d suggest investing in a big-name pizza oven brand when buying a pizza oven. This way, you know that you’re buying a high-quality product that will produce high-quality pizzas and last a long time.

Of course, if you just want to buy a pizza oven for one specific event, you could opt for a cheap pizza oven instead. Just be warned that it may not produce the results you’re after.

Now we’ve explained what you should know before buying a pizza oven, it’s time to make a delicious investment…

It may sound cheesy, but we love pizza ovens at Ideal Home. We’ve tested more pizza ovens than you can shake a pizza peel at, and throughout our reviewing process, we’ve found that two brands stick out more than most: Gozney and Ooni.

Both Gozney and Ooni have staked their claims in our best pizza oven guide, allowing everyday pizza lovers to cook up restaurant-standard pizzas in the comfort of their garden or outdoor kitchen. But when you’re faced with two pizza oven brands that offer style and substance, it can be hard to choose which one you want a slice of.

Both brands have brand new ovens out this year, the Gozney Arc and the Ooni Koda Max 2. That’s why we’ve decided now is the time to settle the Gozney vs Ooni debate once and for all. Sure, we know how a pizza oven works, but now we’ve compared these two pizza oven brands against each other in terms of their design, user experience, portability, added extras, and affordability. And using all of this info, we’ve been able to see which brand is truly the cream of the crust.

Gozney vs Ooni pizza ovens

As two of the biggest players in the pizza oven game, Gozney and Ooni offer everything you need to make delicious pizzas at home. But there’s no doubt that there are some differences between these two brands. Below, we’ve outlined them all - and explained our favourite of the two.

Gozney vs Ooni: Design

In our eyes, adding any pizza oven to your outdoor kitchen will up the style ante. And while Gozney and Ooni both offer impressive designs across the board, there’s no doubt that Gozney goes the extra mile.

In fact, it’s often hard to distinguish one Ooni pizza oven from the next. All Ooni pizza ovens offer the same D-shape opening, the same four legs, and often the same silver or black colourway. The only real difference is that some Ooni pizza ovens also sport a chimney.

And while this sleek and modern design is perfect for those who ultimately prefer Ooni to Gozney, the latter brand offers a lot more in terms of variation. This is particularly obvious with the Gozney Dome.

When our Ideal Home reviewer took this pizza oven for a spin in her Gozney Dome review, she was won over by its stylish design and unique appearance. You could even say that it looks more rustic than many other pizza ovens on the market - making it perfect for those who want to add a rustic touch to their cottage garden.

So, if you’re looking for sleek and minimal, Ooni wins on design. But if you’re looking for something different, Gozney is your guy.

Gozney vs Ooni: User experience

There’s a reason why Gozney and Ooni are often pipped against each other, and that's because they’re considered some of the top players in the pizza oven game. They’re celebrated for their impressive cooking abilities, ease of use, and versatility.

Through our own testing, the Ideal Home team has found that both pizza oven brands excel in the finished product: the pizza. And coming in first place as the ‘best overall’ pizza oven is the Ooni Fyra Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven.

In our 5-star review of the Ooni Fyra 12, our tester, Helen McCue, said, ‘The Ooni makes it pretty simple to make authentic crisp pizzas and these are by far some of the best pizzas I’ve ever made. When I got it right I was rewarded with pizza that had a crisp base and fluffy, charred crust.’

But it’s important to note that even the best pizza ovens can be alien to those who have never used one before. Adding on to our Ooni Fyra 12 review, Helen explained, ‘It’s certainly a learning curve and there are a lot of variables, like the quality of the dough and the temperature of the oven, so you have to be prepared to have the odd less successful one along the journey!’

Thankfully, it’s easy to play around with your Ooni pizza oven when you’re at home and craving a pepperoni pizza. If you want perfection the first time around, however, some would say that Gozney Roccbox is the option for you.

This Gozney offering is a restaurant-grade, dual-fuel portable pizza oven. And as Harry Hook from Raw Food & Drink PR explains, ‘The Gozney Roccbox is a firm favourite of industry professionals.’

Ideal Home’s E-Commerce Editor and pizza oven aficionado, Molly Cleary, has tested the Roccbox for herself, and gave it an impressive 5-star review. She said, ‘I'm a huge fan of this pizza oven and its various talents. If you like cooking, and plan to spend a lot of time outdoors this summer, then the Roccbox is a purchase well worth your investment.’

And while the dual-fuel aspect of this Gozney pizza oven is a perk, there was one clear fuel winner for Molly. ‘I started with using gas burner, the standard with the Roccbox. I quickly found that using a gas pizza oven is much easier and quicker than burning wood, as was also the case in our Ooni Koda review,’ she explained.

‘With the Roccbox, you simply attach the burner, ignite it and keep an eye on the temperature gauge as it begins to rise. If you haven't prepped your pizzas fully yet, using the gas burner gives you the flexibility to get to those other tasks (sprinkling mozzarella and such) done without needing to tend to the oven much at all.'

‘Within 25 to 30 minutes, the Roccbox was at the right temperature to make a start, which you can see on the inbuilt temperature gauge.’

Of course, it’s also important to note that while both brands offer different fuel types, Ooni is the only brand to offer an electric pizza oven in the form of the Ooni Volt.

Gozney vs Ooni: Portability

In today’s day and age, the pizza possibilities are endless - especially now many of the best pizza ovens are portable. This means that your pizza parties can be taken to the beach or to the park, or even just moved elsewhere in your garden to avoid the rain.

But if you’re torn between Gozney and Ooni and portability is a deciding factor, it’s fair to say that there is a big difference between them.

The best option for portability on the Ooni side of the fence has to be the Ooni Koda 12. This pizza oven was specifically designed to be portable, offering folding legs, a simple setup, and a weight of just 9.25 kg. Our reviewer gave it 4.5 stars out of 5 in her review, losing half a point for its lack of a door and the lack of wood-fired flavour.

On the other side of the fence, however, you have the Gozney portable offering. Technically, that is the Gozney Roccbox. And while the brand claims that the Roccbox is the ‘world’s first portable pizza oven,’ the practicality of this has to be questioned.

Although the Roccbox comes with a strap to help you move it with ease, it still weighs a hefty 29kg. Because of this, Ooni wins the portability round.

Gozney vs Ooni: Added extras

Both Gozney and Ooni sell more than just pizza ovens. There are so many added extras and accessories that you can buy - from the best-selling Ooni Baking Stone from Lakeland to the Acacia Wood Pizza Peel & Server from Gozney. You can even buy pizza cutters, dough trays, thermometers, cleaning brushes, and so much more.

But while Gozney offers you all of the accessories you need, Ooni also offers what you need and want. And our favourite accessory just has to be the Ooni Pizza Topping Station from Amazon, which allows you to turn your outdoor space into the ultimate chef’s pizza kitchen.

In fact, this extra variety is why Dennis Littley, a fine dining chef and owner of askchefdennis.com, particularly loves the Ooni brand.

He says, ‘The Ooni isn't just a one-trick pony. While it excels at cooking up perfect Neapolitan-style pizzas, it's also versatile enough to tackle a wide range of dishes. Think perfectly seared steaks, smoky roasted vegetables, or even freshly baked bread – the possibilities are endless.'

‘And with the addition of accessories like the cast iron skillet or the grizzler plate, you can take your outdoor cooking game to the next level, whipping up everything from sizzling stir-fries to decadent desserts, all with that signature wood-fired flavour.’

Because of this, we’re going to say that Ooni wins on the accessories front.

Gozney vs Ooni: Affordability

When buying a new pizza oven, price is something you definitely need to consider. After all, everyone wants to get more bang for their buck. But which is cheaper: Gozney or Ooni?

The cheapest Ooni pizza oven is a tie between the Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven and the Ooni Fyra 12 Wood Pellet Pizza Oven, which both retail at £299 on the Ooni Website. The most expensive Ooni pizza oven, on the other hand, is the Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven, coming in at £799.

However, it’s important to note that you can often save money when buying an Ooni pizza oven bundle, and other retailers slash the price of their pizza ovens throughout the year. That’s why it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on our Ooni pizza oven deals page for the latest discounts.

If you’re leaning more towards Gozney, the cheapest Gozney pizza oven is the Gozney Roccbox, which retails at £399 - which is £100 more than the cheapest Ooni pizza oven. The most expensive offering from the pizza oven brand is the Gozney Arc XL, which retails at £699.99. Interestingly, this is just under £100 cheaper than the most expensive Gozney.

Of course, buying a pizza oven is an investment no matter how much you spend or which brand you opt for. With this in mind, cleaning and maintaining your pizza oven is essential, as this will extend its lifetime.

For more info, check out our guide on how to clean a pizza baking stone and how to clean an Ooni pizza stone.

Final verdict: Which one should you buy?

Now that we’ve compared these two cult pizza oven brands, you probably want to know whether there’s a clear winner. Well, as Harry says, ‘At times, it feels like it could be comparing apples and pears, so in the end, it comes down to which is your favourite fruit!’

And this is something that Molly agrees with, too, as Ooni and Gozney are ultimately two quite different brands that have their own positives and negatives.

Molly has taken pizza ovens from both brands for a spin over the years, and her final verdict is: 'In a head-to-head battle, I think that Ooni definitely takes the crown when it comes to affordability. The Ooni Fyra, our top-rated oven, which our reviewer gave an easy five stars, can usually be found for around £240, whereas the entry-level Gozney Roccbox will set you back closer to £399.’

‘After testing, though, I can vouch for the quality of the Roccbox, so if you have more to spend, you won't be disappointed. I personally sway a tiny bit more towards all things Gozney as I just love the designs, but in terms of performance, the competition between these two is almost impossible to call, which is why these brands are as popular as they are!'

So, ultimately, you need to find which brand is the cream of the crust for your needs and requirements.

FAQs

What's better, Ooni or Gozney?

This ultimately comes down to personal preference and your own requirements in terms of budget, design, and accessory choice. After all, both Ooni and Gozney are brand leaders in the pizza oven field and both offer you the chance to make restaurant-standard pizzas at home.

If you’re looking for an affordable pizza oven, Ooni wins. But if you’re looking for something stylish and substantial, Gozney just pips it to the post.

Is Roccbox too small?

The Gozney Roccbox is designed to cook pizzas up to 12” in diameter, which is the perfect size for some people. But if you have a larger family or want to make multiple pizzas at the same time, the Roccbox may be too small.

However, there’s a reason why the Roccbox is considered to be one of the best (and fastest) pizza ovens on the market. And even if you want to cook multiple pizzas in a short amount of time, you won’t have to wait too long. You should be able to cook back-to-back pizzas in just a few minutes.

So, who wins in the Gozney vs Ooni debate for you?

Are you wondering exactly how a pizza oven works? We're right there with you. Pizza making is a great social activity that can really bring your outdoor space to life, and while it can be done with a standard oven, the experience is elevated tenfold with one of the best pizza ovens.

That's all thanks to how pizza ovens work. These (usually) outdoor ovens reach much higher temperatures thanks to the engineering behind them, enabling crispy bases, melted cheeses and flame-grilled toppings, crafting that pizza deliciousness that we all know and love.

Since we've tested dozens of them, we thought it was only right to get down to the nuts and bolts of how these ovens work. And once you're all clued up, you can decide if you want to own one.

How does a pizza oven work?

At-home pizza ovens work differently from the commercial ovens found in your favourite pizzeria. Still, the central principle is the same: you need high heat to craft quality pizza.

There are 3 ways at-home pizza ovens are usually fuelled: wood (including pellets), gas or electric. One example of an electric oven is the Ninja Woodfire Oven, which you can use to cook all sorts of pizza.

Any of these heat sources can be used to get to the required temperature of around 500°C. Once the chamber inside the oven is that hot, insulating materials keep it at that heat for as long as possible.

When hot enough, you'll insert your pizza into the oven, and the base will cook through contact with the hot pizza stone. If you're burning wood or pellets, you can load more fuel into your hopper at this point to create a rolling flame, which will chargrill your toppings too.

Some models, such as one we tried in our Witt ETNA Rotante Pizza Oven review, have a rotating stone, to get full coverage cooking with no effort at all. For the most part though, you'll need to manually rotate your pizza with a peel, as the back of your oven will likely be hotter than the front. 

If the sound of a rustic DIY oven appeals to you, we've looked into how to build a pizza oven, so that you can have an entire outdoor kitchen crafted by your own fair hand. Outdoor built-in ovens will tend to be crafted from brick, and you'll need plenty of those insulating materials we mentioned earlier.

Other smaller at-home ovens, such as by one of our top-rated brands Ooni, have stainless steel exterior constructions with that all-important ceramic pizza stone slotted inside. Kristian Tapaninaho, Founder and Co-CEO of Ooni, provided us with more detail on exactly how the brand's ovens work.

'Ooni's ovens are based on the principles of traditional solid-fuel pizza ovens,' says Kristian 'but are smaller, more accessible and heat up much faster. 

The ovens reach temperatures of up to 500 °C and the height of the ceiling allows that super hot air to circulate and the baking stones retain heat to ensure an oven cook - so anyone can make authentic Neapolitan-style pizza at home.'

Ooni's ovens are run either by burning wood pellets in a hopper or by connection to gas. The latter is certainly a popular option for those who want to precisely control the temperature of their ovens, with Kristian adding: 'The recently unveiled Koda 2 Max is our largest and most advanced pizza oven yet.'

'The 24ʺ gas-powered pizza oven has an innovative dual-zone cooking function, whereby two independently controlled gas burners allow for multiple pizza styles (or other foods!) to be cooked simultaneously at a range of temperatures,' he explains.

'For example, you can quickly fire a Neapolitan-style one side, while baking a Detroit a little lower and slower on the other.'

The innovation of Ooni ovens is evidence that at home pizza ovens are improving all the time. It can be hard to know which Ooni to invest in off the bat, but our current top-rated favourite is the Ooni Fyra, which is simple to use and compact. 

What makes a pizza oven better than a normal oven?

If you've ever dedicated a Friday night to making pizza which you've baked in your oven, you'll already know that the results can be a trifle disappointing. Chewy (or worse raw) dough and coagulated cheese make the difference between standard homemade pizza and what you can get delivered from the local takeaway quite stark.

If you've ever wondered why the quality difference is so stark, then we've got the answer. And you won't be surprised to hear it all comes back to high temperatures. 

Kristian puts the difference in quality down to the fact that 'Most home ovens don't get beyond 230 °C and require considerable heat-up time.'

He adds that 'For traditional Neapolitan-style pizza, you need temperatures of 430 °C plus and would expect a 60-90 second cook time.'

That means that even if you fire your in-built oven up to the highest possible temperature, it won't quite cut it. 

'There's no match for flame-cooked pizza on a super hot stone - a crisp base, beautiful puffy crusts and golden browned toppings just make people happy,' explains Kristian. 

'Multi-fuel pizza ovens in particular give cooks more choice - use charcoal or wood for that smoky fired flavour, or gas for quick, clean convenience.'

The answer is simple then: if you want to get the highest quality homemade pizza at home, investing in a pizza oven is your best bet. Now you just need to decide on which one!

Been wondering how to build a pizza oven? As the weather gradually gets warmer and then the sun makes a more frequent appearance in our gardens, you may start thinking more about how to make the most of your outdoor space. 

If you enjoy cooking, then having one of the best pizza ovens is a great way to embrace the great outdoors, whilst also providing an excellent alternative to barbecues, for those keen on hosting and dining outside together with friends and family.

While you can get your hands on smaller indoor pizza ovens, if you want a more permanent outdoor fixture, then you’ll need to know how to build a pizza oven. We asked an expert to give their tips and tricks for creating the perfect at-home pizza oven.

How to build a pizza oven

Building a pizza oven from scratch may sound like a pretty tricky task, but with enough research and a little time and dedication, it can be a really rewarding DIY project that yields delicious results.

We've got some tips from Robert Quinton, DIY expert and owner of Construction Megastore, that will break the process down to an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide. His tips will show you the simplest foolproof method to build your own pizza oven, and we've also included some suggestions of more budget-friendly alternatives if you don't fancy doing too much DIY.

As you'd expect, the first step is to gather any outdoor kitchen ideas you may have, survey your outdoor space, find the spot where you want to build your pizza oven and research all the tools and materials you'll need. This is a task that'll take some time, so ideally you would dedicate a free weekend or a good chunk of time from your week to crafting your pizza oven. 

What you will need to build a pizza oven

• Refractory bricks like these from Amazon or clay bricks (for the oven chamber)
• Concrete mix or fireproof mortar like this Bostik Cementone from B&Q 
• Fire bricks (for the oven floor)
• Metal stand or concrete base like the Vitcas concrete plinth from Amazon (optional, for elevating the oven)
• Insulating materials such as ceramic fibre blanket like this one from Amazon or pick up this vermiculite/perlite mix from Amazon
• Metal mesh or chicken wire from Amazon (for reinforcement)
• Sand like this fire sand from Screwfix
• Wood for the fire
• A pizza peel like this one from Lakeland (to slide pizzas in and out of the oven)

Step-by-step guide

1. Design and Planning

Robert's first tip is 'to begin the process of building your own pizza oven by deciding on the size and shape you want to create.'

'You can find various designs online for inspiration, ranging from simple dome-shaped ovens to more elaborate constructions.'

'Consider the space available in your garden, your skillset, and how many pizzas you intend to make at once to determine the ideal size for your oven.'

Have a look at these pizza oven stand ideas too.

2. Constructing the Base

Robert advises that 'if you opt for a stand or base, start by building this structure using bricks, concrete blocks, or a metal frame, and ensure the base is level and sturdy enough to support the weight of the oven.'

3. Building the Oven Chamber

If building a classic dome-shaped pizza oven, Robert suggests: 'Using your chosen refractory or clay bricks, construct the dome-shaped oven chamber. Lay the bricks in a circular pattern, gradually building upwards to form the dome, and crucially, remember to leave an opening at the front for the entrance to the oven!'

This method may require some bricklaying skills but don't worry if that sounds too tasking, we've asked another expert for less DIY-intensive options; read on to hear her alternatives. 

4. Creating the Oven Floor

Robert continues: 'For the oven floor, lay fire bricks on a bed of fireproof mortar or sand. Ensure the bricks are level and tightly packed together to provide a solid cooking surface.' 

5. Insulating the Oven

'To guarantee optimal heat retention and efficiency, insulate the oven chamber with a layer of insulating material.' 

Robert suggests, 'Ceramic fibre blanket or a mix of vermiculite and perlite can work well for this purpose, and apply the insulation around the outside of the oven chamber, covering it entirely.'

6. Adding a Protective Layer

For the finishing step, Roberts suggests that in order 'to protect the insulation and give your oven a finished look, apply a layer of render or stucco over the insulation, as this layer also helps to seal the oven and prevent heat loss.'

As mentioned, this can give your pizza oven a more professional and less rustic look once finished. Preventing heat loss is paramount for maintaining a nice even temperature throughout your pizza oven, so that your pizzas cook through evenly without burning around the edges or just on one side.

Alternatives to a DIY pizza oven

And if you don’t feel like building at all, then Caroline Morris, Sales and Business Development Director of Bar-Be-Quick, offers this handy solution: 

'If you can’t quite get yourself into the building spirit to muster up creating your own pizza oven, there are some great affordable alternatives to buy on the market. The Bar-Be-Quick Charcoal Pizza Kettle Barbecue available at Amazon is a great way to cook your pizzas outdoors without the hefty price tag of getting all the tools and materials to build it yourself.'

This could be the perfect solution if you’d love a pizza oven but don’t want to commit to a heavy, built-in brick version that can’t be moved around your outdoor space. 

She also adds: 'But, if you do want to give some DIY a go, the Build In Grill&Bake with Oven is a great alternative, as you can build all the brickwork, but all the cooking components are ready to slot into place.'

So even if you don't want the faff of building a pizza oven from scratch, there are some good alternatives available that will save you some time and effort, but will still give you great results that allow you to make pizza outdoors.

FAQs

Is it safe to build your own pizza oven at home?

Yes, if proper safety precautions are followed. However you decide to build your pizza oven, always make sure you're wearing the right protective equipment, like gloves and eye protection.

Before you start, it's a good idea to watch and follow the guidance of a video tutorial closely. Always do your research before building, or even call in a professional to ensure that where you have chosen to build the pizza oven is in a safe spot.

What else can a pizza oven be used for?

Pizza ovens can be surprisingly versatile, and their use doesn’t have to be limited to just making pizza. 

Consider making different types of bread like naan, flatbreads, etc. Or even slow-cooking meats; a pizza oven maintains a nice even temperature throughout and stays hot for a while afterwards.

Ooni is adding a new release to its range of award-winning pizza ovens, and it's set to be the largest and most advanced from the brand yet. 

24 inches wide, and with a digital temperature hub that you can connect to your phone, the Ooni Koda 2 Max is sure to attract attention from the brand's huge customer base. After all, this is the brand that surged in popularity during the pandemic and has been a staple in gardens up and down the country ever since.

Since we've reviewed and loved every Ooni pizza oven out there thus far and ranked the excellent Ooni Fyra as the absolute best pizza oven on the market, it seemed only right to take a first look at this new release.

Ooni Koda 2 Max first look 

It's certainly set to be a big summer for pizza oven launches, with the recent arrival of Gozney's Arc and Lakeland getting in on the action with its brand-new gas pizza oven.

So what makes Ooni's new launch different from the rest? Well, it's massive for starters, with space for 20-inch pizzas. For context, average pizza sizes (and ovens) range from around 12 inches to 18 inches maximum, so 24 inches is a huge space indeed. 

Ooni calls this a 'supersized 24" cooking area' perfect for side-by-side cooking, meaning that you could squeeze a pizza and a cut of meat in there at the same time, or an additional skillet with a side of potatoes or greens.

As well as the zone being supersized, it also has two separate cooking zones with independent temperature controls - so you could even cook two different types of pizza (like deep dish and Neopolitan) simultaneously. That's not a feature I've ever seen before, and will most definitely make catering to a crowd easier.

The addition of a digital temperature hub means that this oven has plenty in common with one of its predecessors, the Ooni Karu, with the ability to get instant temperature readings from inside the oven to your phone thanks to Ooni Connect, so that you can multi-task making your salad while still keeping an eye on your pizza. 

All of these new developments with the Koda 2 Max will make it trickier to decide which Ooni to buy, but hopefully, we'll be testing out this new release to let you know how those new features shape up. 

Lakeland is a major retailer selling most home appliances, but did you know the brand also manufactures its own range of kitchen and outdoor must-haves?

The latest addition to that collection is the new Lakeland Gas Pizza oven, which we reckon is a dead ringer for fan favourites from some of the best pizza oven brands on the market. And with the success of Lakeland's own range of the best air fryers, it's fair to say it's a launch we're excited about.

The Lakeland Gas Pizza oven is priced at £299.99. With this oven, the brand promises you can easily master the art of pizza at home, and sling out 12-inch pizzas in your garden all summer long, with a heat-up time to 500°C in just 15 minutes. We took a first look at this brand-new release from Lakeland to see how it stacks up against the favourite pizza ovens we've already tried and loved.

Lakeland Gas Pizza Oven first look

As the name very much gives away, this is a gas-powered pizza oven, which means that the time it takes to get up to the correct heat for Neapolitan pizzas is minimal, as is the case with our top-rated gas pizza oven after testing it, the Ooni Koda.

After just a short time, you'll be ready to pop your pizzas in this oven, and the sheer heat of the pizza stone will mean that you'll only need to wait a couple of minutes before you've achieved that lovely crispy base that you're used to enjoying from your local pizza place.

The foldable legs also mean that this oven looks like a fairly portable buy, which is similar to the Gozney Roccbox. The Lakeland Pizza Oven is also quite lightweight at just 10kg, so it looks like it'll be a great option to take along to the beach or to a friend's house for alfresco dining. 

Along with this oven, Lakeland has also released an extensive range of pizza oven accessories, including an interesting-looking topping station for £39.99 and an affordable pizza rocker for £14.99, which I personally find is essential when making homemade pizzas. 

In terms of comparisons, I'd say that this oven strikes me as pretty similar to the Ooni Koda 12 inch oven, which retails for £349.99. When we tested the Koda we found it to be an easy 4.5/5 star buy, so we'll most definitely be testing out the new Lakeland version for ourselves, to see if it compares as a more affordable buy.

However, if you'd prefer a larger oven and would love to use your outdoor kitchen for cooking large cuts of meat and other dishes, then the Gozney Dome might be the best choice for you, which has a large 16 inch opening. It was a sell out success a couple of years ago, and our reviewer found it to be a total must-buy. 

Whichever oven you opt for, it's definitely the right time of year to start thinking about your outdoor dining situation. We're just hoping it won't be long until it's warm enough to enjoy a pizza in the sun!

Aldi's sellout BBQ pizza oven is making its much-anticipated return, allowing you to serve up delicious restaurant-style pizzas all from the comfort of your own home. Hitting shelves on the 21st of March, the return of this sellout outdoor can only mean one thing: the promise of warmer spring weather is finally on our doorstep.

We don't know about you, but the weather warming up is pretty much synonymous with dusting off your best pizza oven. Spring calls for days spent out in the sun and al fresco dining – and what better supplement to your spring dinner parties than a freshly cooked pizza?

Simply place the pizza oven on top of your best BBQ – whether it be gas or charcoal – and get cooking. Better yet, coming in at a low price point of just £39.99, it's a must for springtime get-togethers.

Aldi BBQ pizza oven

Slightly smaller than the traditionally large Aldi gas pizza oven that graced stores this time last year, this smaller BBQ pizza oven counterpart is perfect for turning any small garden into a pizzeria.

Practical and compact, this pizza oven features a high-quality ceramic pizza stone and integrated thermometer to ensure budget-friendly dishes that don't scrimp on quality or taste.

Equipped with the ability to cook a 12-inch pizza in just 10 minutes, no longer will you be faced with having to choose between a BBQ or a pizza oven as you can indulge in the benefits of both in any outdoor kitchen.

Aldi's BBQ pizza oven will be available in stores from the 21st of March, while stocks last. However, given its low price of £39.99 and versatility for outdoor dining this spring, we suspect they won't last on shelves for long.

Alternatively, if you don't live near an Aldi or are looking to browse other BBQ pizza oven options, we've pulled together some options that won't break the bank but still promise a delicious result.

Shop BBQ pizza ovens

While you're at it, don't forget to purchase some essentials for your pizza oven, too, including the likes of a pizza peel and a turning pizza peel to help you better use your new investment.

Although the weather might not be quite up to scratch just yet, we'll be running to Aldi on Thursday to get our hands on this outdoor living must-have in good faith. After all, we'd rather be safe than sorry when the sun finally makes its long-anticipated appearance.

Pizza is a crowdpleaser. Owning a pizza oven is step above, and serves as a great way to bring poeple together in your home. But does a pizza oven make a good gift, or is it an investment too far to give to somebody else? They do, after all, require quite a bit of work.

As Ideal Home's product tester and compiler of our guide to the best pizza ovens I've tried lots of pizza ovens this year, and enjoyed some lovely moments with my friends and family while doing so. I can see why, if budget allows, that one of these outdoor ovens might make it onto your list of potential gift ideas for the foodies you have in your life.

I've rounded up the ovens that I think would make great gifts for people you might be trying to buy for, as well as the pros and cons of gifting a pizza oven altogether. 

Does a pizza oven make a good gift?

Pizza ovens can make a garden into a more social space, and mean that you get access to restaurant-quality margherita whenever you like. Win-win. But the debate over whether they make a good gift is a little bite more complicated.

The first thing you'll want to consider is how keen a chef your potential recipient is. If they're the type of person who loves using one of the best BBQs in the summer, or they're already known to batch bake bread with the help of a stand mixer, then you can probably be pretty certain that they have the at-home-cooking-enthusiasm needed for a pizza oven. 

If they aren't that keen on cooking, or on setting up and maintaining buys like a BBQ, then you might want to reevaluate whether they will be willing to put in the effort needed to succeed with a pizza oven. Oh, and being sure that they definitely like pizza will also help too.

Once you're sure a pizza oven is actually a good fit for them in terms of effort, you should think practically about whether they have the space for one. If their garden space is smaller, or if they share space with other people, you'll want to consider whether it's a viable purchase for them to use and store year-round. 

Another thing to consider is the type of fuel the oven you choose uses. Wood-fired ovens are more authentic, but take more effort to set up and run, while you can use gas ovens to churn out lots of pizzas at once, making them perfect for those who love to entertain. Below you can find suggestions for which type of pizza oven will suit each pizza-lover.  

Gifts for pizza oven obsessives

If the person you still need to buy for already has a pizza oven, and you're looking for accessories to add to their set up, then there are plenty of great add-ons that you can use to spruce up their stocking this Christmas. 

If you need a little more help on deciding which pizza oven to buy then our feature on which Ooni to buy may be of help to you as you sort out your Christmas list too. 

My family are big pizza fans, which is why when it came to trying out the Drew & Cole Adoro oven, I jumped at the chance. We've tried most of our local delivery options (and a fair few pubs and restaurants, too!) – we also make a lot of pizzas at home ourselves. When making our own pizzas, we've had to cook them in a conventional oven. While they do taste good, they definitely lack that extra special wood-fired flavour that a lot of our all-time favourite pizzas have had. 

In the long-term, my husband is keen to build a pizza oven as part of his grand plans for an outdoor kitchen in our garden, but we've been keen to try a portable pizza oven until that happens. After checking out all the best pizza ovens around, and the Adoro from Drew&Cole seemed like a great option for us. 

Drew&Cole Adoro pizza oven specs

• Type: Wood-fuelled
• Pizza size: 12in/30cm
• Cooking surface: 1500g cordierite stone 
• Size: 71.5 x 36 x 54.5 cm
• Weight: 10.8kg
• Temperature: 350-450°C/XXºF
• Cooking time: 60 seconds
• Features: Built-in thermometer

Who tested this pizza oven?

Unboxing, first impressions & set up

It took us less than five minutes to assemble the Adoro, as the main body comes assembled and you just have to unfold the four legs. You slot in the ash tray and the hopper and then place the pizza stone into the oven. The only tool we needed was a Phillips screwdriver to attach the door handle to the door using screws. 

The chimney pipe slots into place, and you pop on the chimney lid. Then you place the pellet grid into the fire box and slot that into the back of the oven. There's a separate fire box handle which you use to open both the fire box and the hopper lid, and the hopper shovel (which you use to shovel wood pellets) doubles as a cover for the chimney pipe when the oven isn't in use.

The Adoro came with a user manual that included easy to follow, step-by-step assembly instructions with diagrams. 

The Adoro pizza oven includes:

1. Double layered cooking chamber and powder-coated carbon steel shell
2. Door with handle and built-in thermometer
3. Pizza stone made from 1500g cordierite
4. Pellet box with burner grate to collect ashes
5. Detachable chimney and vent with detachable chimney cap
6. Folding legs
7. Charging hopper
8. Pizza peel

You'll need to buy your own natural firelighters and wood pellets, as these don't come with the oven. 

What is the Adoro Pizza Oven like to use?

Testing the oven was an all-family activity, with my husband lighting the oven, and doing most of the cooking, and my 13-year-old twins and I prepping the dough and assembling the pizzas ready for cooking.

The Adoro pizza oven is wood-fuelled so we used wood pellets for a classic wood-fired flavour. These are the instructions we followed.

1. Attach the door
2. Remove the fire box and add a scoop of natural wood pellets
3. Place the fire box on a non-flammable surface and light the pellets (we used natural firelighters)
4. Insert the fire box back into the oven and allow to burn for 15-20 minutes
5. Open the hopper lid and top up the hopper (this feeds pellets into the fire box)
6. When temperature reaches 350-450°C you're ready to cook!

How to maintain temperature

You need to keep an eye on the temperature level while you're cooking, as it drops every time you open the door. The other thing that you need to remember to do is check the pellet level in the fire box. Drew&Cole recommend that you keep the pellet hopper at least half full throughout cooking to keep the burning performance as consistent as possible.

We found that the temperature recovered quickly after closing the door, and the built-in thermometer is clear and easy to read.

The user manual advises that if you're cooking for over an hour, you should use a poker to encourage any build up of ash in the fire box to fall through into the ash tray, to optimise burning performance.

Making pizza with the Adoro

While we haven't used a pizza oven before, my family are well-practised in making pizzas ourselves, opting for frozen dough if time is short, or making our own from scratch when we really want to go to town. 

Once the Adoro was up to temperature, we transferred the uncooked pizza onto the pizza peel, opened the door and slid the pizza easily into the oven. We shut the door and left it for about 30 seconds, before opening the door to check on the progress. We then used the peel to turn the pizza before closing the door again and leaving for a further 30-40 seconds, depending on how well you like your pizza cooked. 

This is all very easy to do, although the door is a little fiddly to remove and put back in place (it's not hinged, instead you use the handle to lift it on and off the oven opening). 

You need to be quick with these tasks so that the door is open for as little time as possible, otherwise the temperature drops and you need to wait for it to come back up to temperature before cooking the next pizza. 

As well as cooking pizzas for our family of four, we have also used the Adoro for my son's pizza party, when we prepped and cooked pizzas for seven people. The quick cooking time is great for catering for a group like this, but it's worth bearing in mind that you obviously need to cook one pizza at a time, so they won't all be ready at once. 

You can also download the free Drew&Cole app, which includes a library full of recipes, including how to make a classic pizza dough and pizza sauce. 

What else can you cook in the Adoro pizza oven?

You can buy a griddle pan separately for use with the Adoro (it doesn't come with the pizza oven). When the oven is up to temperature, you place the griddle pan onto the pizza stone in the oven for five minutes to preheat it. 

We didn't test the griddle pan ourselves, but recipes that use the griddle pan on the Drew&Cole app include BBQ chicken breasts, steak, salmon and halloumi and veg kebabs. 

How portable is the Adoro pizza oven?

The Adoro is reasonably lightweight (just over 10kg), and has folding legs and a detachable chimney, which make it fairly easy to move around, but it doesn't come with a bag so it's quite awkward to lift. 

When you've finished cooking, you need to leave any remaining pellets in the fire box to burn through, which can take up to 90 minutes, and then wait for the oven to fully cool before you try to move it. 

We're keen campers and have a campervan, and we'll definitely be packing the Adoro for our next camping trip.

Cleaning

To clean the pizza stone, you just take it out of the oven and clean it with a little hot water. You must make sure the pizza stone is completely dry before using or storing it. 

If you want to get rid of any stains on the pizza stone, Drew&Cole recommend making a paste from equal parts water and bicarbonate of soda, then using it to scrub the stains with a brush. Wipe clean and allow to dry.

The ash tray is easily cleaned - simply empty out the ash and wash the tray with warm soapy water.

To prolong the life of the Adoro, the manual recommends not leaving it outside unprotected and using an oven cover when not in use. However, the oven doesn't come with a cover, and Drew&Cole don't sell one, so we picked one up on Amazon to keep it covered over the winter months. 

Should you buy the Adoro Pizza Oven?

If you're a fan of delicious wood-fired pizza, then absolutely! I hadn't used a pizza oven before, but the pizzas we cooked in the Adoro definitely rival our best local takeaway (which is really, really good). In fact, my son made the bold declaration that his was the best pizza he'd ever tasted – and he's eaten a fair few! 

It's easy to use, heats up quickly, and cooks your pizza in a minute, so it's perfect for family meals. There's also little cleaning up required afterwards, which is always a plus for me. 

At the really reasonable price of £179.99, I think it's great value for money, and we'll soon be saving compared to what we were spending on takeaway pizzas. For this price, getting the pizza peel included is brilliant, and I don't feel too bad about having to buy a cover myself. It's a considerable saving on the Ooni Fyra (RRP £249) which doesn't come with accessories, pizza peel or a built-in thermometer, so I think the Adoro is a worthy rival for the crown of best entry level pizza oven. 

When you imagine your dream pizza oven (which I'm assuming like me you often do if you're reading this) it will likely look something a bit like the glossy, colourful DeliVita pizza oven. 

Well, if just like me you really can't justify forking out over £1000 for even one of the best pizza ovens, the Diavolo gas-fired pizza oven from DeliVita is the next best thing compared to the other offering from the brand, the premium DeliVita Pizza Oven. 

The Diavolo gas-fired pizza oven is DeliVita's first entry-level, portal gas-powered pizza oven which gives you the same sort of convenience as the best gas BBQs. 

Created by the Yorkshire-based company, they're already giving UK-based Ooni and Gozney a run for their money claiming that it is the UK's best gas-fired portable pizza oven. We put the Diavolo to the test to see if the claims stacked up and were pleasantly surprised.

Diavolo Gas Fired Oven product specs

• Fuel: Gas
• Weight: 14kg
• Pizza size: 12 inch
• Preheat time: 15 minutes (We found it took closer to 20 mins)
• Dimensions: H62 x W37 x D47cm
• Warranty: 1 year, when you register your oven it will extend to 5 years

Who tested the Diavolo gas fired pizza oven?

First impressions and set up

The Diavolo arrived in a wide cardboard box which I was able to push around the house to where I wanted to unpack it. I’d recommend enlisting someone to help you move it if you can. The pizza oven was carefully packaged using layers of cardboard and a very small amount of bubble wrap to protect the fragile pizza stone and peel.

The full box included the pizza oven, legs, gas connector, pizza stone, folding pizza peel, infrared thermometer and carry case. It was very easy to put together as you only need to attach the legs (which come in two easy-to-fit parts) and the gas connector, before slotting the pizza stone inside.

It was a huge added bonus that Delivita equipped the Diavolo with everything you need to start cooking a pizza straight away. You don’t need to buy anything such as a peel or a carry case to make the most of it as you do with competitor brands. Once the gas connector was hooked up to my small Calor gas canister I was ready to get cooking.

The only issue I did have was with the instructions stopping short of explaining the gas attachment process. They went into extreme detail over safety precautions which I appreciated, but I found it didn’t answer simple questions such as which way to turn the gas valve once I’d attached it to a gas canister. 

The instructions do come with a QR code that will take you to a guide on how to set up the pizza oven. However, I tried the oven so soon after the launch I couldn’t find any information on the Diavolo when I scanned the code. I assume this will be fixed soon.

DeliVita pizza ovens have a reputation for being beautiful. The vibrant glossy signature pizza ovens are such a centrepiece that they were an absolute staple in nearly every outdoor kitchen at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year. The Diavolo doesn’t disappoint despite being a portable, entry-level model. 

It has a similar shape to the Ooni gas pizza oven, however, it has embraced the typical curves of a pizza oven. There are no angles or sharp edges, its body is a smooth sloping dome, with an elegant temperature control at the top. The best way to describe the DiaVolo is that it’s just a little bit sexy. Built with a modern design, it stands out compared to other portable gas pizza ovens.

The two biggest differences from the DeliVita signature range are the sliver legs that are essential to the portable design, and the absence of the glossy coloured finish, which has been swapped for a matte textured surface. I think this might be my favourite part of the Diavolo as it shows that careful thought has been put into the design. Ultimately it means this pizza oven can look amazing for as long as possible, with minimal effort. 

Heating up

The Diavolo is a gas pizza oven and can be paired with either patio gas or it is one of the first gas pizza ovens that can be used with a camping gas cylinder. I used a small Calor patio gas canister to test the Diavolo pizza oven. 

I set it up on a heat-proof table in a sheltered part of the garden in line with the instruction manual. The manual didn’t give an estimated heat-up time, or a target temperature (apart from in the recipe at the back which suggested aiming for 400-500 degrees). So if you are a beginner I would recommend you do a little research to make sure you’re leaving it to heat up for long enough to get the best results. 

I checked in with the brand and was told it should heat up in 20 minutes, similar to the time it takes most other gas-powered pizza ovens. The pizza oven doesn’t come equipped with a built-in thermometer, however, you can use the included infrared thermometer instead. You simply point at the centre of the pizza stone on the bottom of the oven to see if it comes up to temperature - which is actually quite fun to do.

The pizza oven took just over 20 minutes, on a cold and relatively windy day to reach 450 degrees. I have yet to try it in different conditions to see if they have an impact on the heating up speed, however based on the glorious British weather, I’d assume most people would be using the Diavolo under similar conditions as I was.

Cooking

Before we get into the cooking test, I want to stress that much like cooking anything in a kitchen cooking a perfect pizza takes practice. Since the Diavolo is directed at entry-level budding pizza chefs, don’t let a few burnt edges at the start put you off. Saying that, considering this was my first time using a gas-powered pizza oven I was amazed at how good the results were for a novice.

I started off cooking a basic cheese and tomato pizza using ready made pizza bases which you can buy frozen from DeliVita. You can make your own bases, but if you’re only just learning to make pizzas, (I must admit that making pizza dough is not something I excel at) I'd recommend taking the shortcut to make your life easier. 

The pizza cooked in 90 seconds, for even results you need to turn the pizza regularly with a pizza peel which was supplied. This was the trickiest part. The mouth and size of the Diavolo will only just fit a single 12 inch pizza in at a time, and trying to spin it around in that tight space was a little beyond my pizza chef skills. I soon started to get the hang of it, but my preferred method became one of pulling the pizza out of the oven a little bit, and then shuffling it around. However, I have been told that semolina on the pizza base makes this step much easier. 

Taste test

I was really impressed by the pizza crusts and the way the DiaVolo cooked and puffed them up. I did need to watch them like a hawk as they went from golden to burnt in a matter of seconds. The pizza was delicious, however I did note that the middle of the pizza on the bottom still had a slightly doughy consistency. 

I tried a couple of methods to improve this - heating the pizza oven up to a higher temperature to crisp the bottom faster, alternatively, dropping the temperature using the temperature control on the top to cook the pizza through slower - however, I was still left with a slight doughy texture. 

Up next I tested out cooking pizzas with different toppings. I opted for a salami pizza and also tried a rosemary flatbread. The Diavolo heats the pizza oven up from a flame along the back, however, it also rolls up along the roof of the pizza oven. The tight space in the oven, meant I did run into a couple of issues with this when cooking any toppings poking up off the pizza - small rosemary sprigs and curling salami edges found themselves very singed.

Overall, I found the pizza oven surprisingly easy to cook with. I was even able to improvise a little and whip up some charred courgette in a griddle pan using it. However, I think the instructions around using the temperature gauge on the top could be improved. I was also a little off-put by the positioning of the handle on the top of the pizza oven, meaning you had to reach across a hot pizza oven if you wanted to adjust the temperature while cooking. 

Cleaning

Cleaning was very easy, a quick wipe down when the pizza oven had cooled down got rid of all then soot that had built up while cooking. 

The pizza stone is designed to be removed which was the part that took the brunt of the mess. This was a bit trickier to clean, I was unable to remove the burnt flower marks that had built up from the first use. However, I did note that after the first use the burn marks didn’t get any worse, although it was a bit disappointing that it didn’t look like new beyond the first use, it hasn’t changed the way you cook on it or developed many more burn marks after the first use (full disclosure: this could be due to my pizza cooking skills improving). 

How does it compare to other pizza ovens?

Out of the other gas-powered pizza ovens that we've tested out, the DeliVita Diavolo is shockingly one of the best value considering its roots are in creating a high-ticket luxury pizza oven. However, the team at DeliVita have really succeeded in making an accessible and attractive entry-level pizza oven, offering customers a strong alternative to their large wood-fired pizza oven.

It comes in cheaper than the Gozney Roccbox that we rated five-stars. However the biggest difference between the two is that the Gozney version comes with a built in thermometer making temperature tracking much easier. Plus you can switch the fuel source on the Gozney, so you're not tied into just cooking on gas.

The best pizza oven to directly compare the Diavolo with is the Ooni Koda, they both look quite similar and heat up in a very similar time frame although the Ooni is about 5 minutes faster. However, the Ooni Koda  12 appears to be cheaper, but considering that you will need to buying the extra accessories, unlike with the Diavolo they actually both work out a very similar price.

Should you buy the Diavolo Gas Pizza Oven?

Overall, I was very impressed with the Diavolo. It heated up quickly, and even a novice like me was able to whip out delicious pizzas in under two minutes. The beautiful green and navy colour ways and matte finish are a large part about what won me over. But I was delighted to find that the pizza oven offered substance aswell as style. 

While there will always be a bit of controversy over whether cooking on a gas pizza oven is as good as wood, if you're a pizza fan like me who is just looking for a super easy way to turn their garden into a pizzeria without going bankrupt the Diavolo is a great buy.

Searching for a pizza oven stand that will help you create the perfect alfresco cooking zone? We've rounded up the best options so that you can get your pizza-making station up and running. 

A functioning cooking station will require a number of elements, but primarily it must be sturdy enough for the pizza oven itself, and any equipment. Surface space is the number one thing to look for, but bigger doesn't always mean better. Instead, think about the garden space you have available and where your outdoor kitchen will be best situated. You'll also need somewhere to store a gas canister, wood, and even a pizza tray.   

It's also wise to think about how often and how easily you want to use your pizza oven. If the cooking station requires lots of setting up, you might be less likely to get it out on a whim. You might also not have anywhere to store it, in which case a pizza oven stand that withstands the elements is key. Above all, you want your outdoor living room to be utterly stylish, so we've considered this in all of our recommendations to ensure your cooking space is ready for hosting. 

Safe and stylish pizza oven stand ideas

If you love hosting or just relish in alfresco dining, an outdoor pizza oven set-up will elevate your garden. They can be used all year round and will deliver restaurant-quality pizzas in no time at all. 

'The ideal pizza oven table needs to be sturdy, heatproof and big enough to house all your pizza-making tools and ingredients,' says Leigh Start, operations director at The Metal Store. 'From easy-to-assemble to more bespoke set-ups, there are many options to choose from.'

1. Pizza oven stands with wheels

Flexibility in an outdoor kitchen is essential. When entertaining different party sizes, you might want to reorganise the space with different zones, for example, a spot to cook, eat, and socialise. 

Having a pizza oven stand with wheels allows you to achieve just that. You can easily manoeuvre it to where is best to cook, so if you're a chef who still wants to join in with the fun you won't need to worry. 

Wheels also mean you can cart it into a garage or shed for storage when the sun goes down. The last thing anyone wants when the rain starts to pour is to spend additional time deconstructing a table, so having wheels means you can quickly pack away when the party is over. 

'To ensure safe pizza making and easy access to indoors, choosing the right spot for your pizza oven station is key especially if you’re entertaining guests outside too,' advises Patrick Carney, head of customer support at Ooni.

'The size of your garden will play a big part in where it’s positioned, but try to pick a spot with enough clearance around the sides for safe pizza making.'

3. Wooden pizza oven stands

If style is at the forefront of your outdoor kitchen design, then the wood could be the ideal material for your pizza oven stand. Coordinating a cooking area with your garden furniture, for example, if you have a wood table and chairs, will make a garden feel well-curated and like an extension of your favourite restaurant. 

If your pizza oven is on legs, you won't need to worry about the heat either. Opting for a large wooden table means you will have plenty of room to prep the dough and your favourite toppings, as well as a drinks zone where guests can help themselves. 

3. Folding pizza oven stands

Whether you only have a small garden to work with or you want a pizza-making station that is super easy to set up, a folding table could be a clever solution. 

Trestle tables are popular for summer dining, as they can be popped up within the blink of an eye, and take up virtually no room to store. If you're keen on prepping for your pizzas inside, then a smaller folding table will have just enough room for the pizza oven itself, without dominating your garden. 

'I'm a huge pizza oven fan after roadtesting a couple of different brands at home, but living in a London flat means that garden space is hard to come by. I don't have space for a full cooking set-up alongside a dining space, so combining the two with a folding table has meant I still have plenty of room for pizza making,' says our Head of Reviews, Millie Fender. 

4. Metal pizza oven stands

If you're after an authentic pizza-making experience that mirrors a restaurant-esque kitchen, a metal pizza oven stand might work for you. Many of the top brands have metal stands that are sturdy enough to withstand the weight of a pizza oven, and super easy to wipe down when sauce spillages inevitably occur. 

They also offer ample room for laying out your toppings and pizza stone, as well as any necessary equipment. 

'Having your pizza-making tools, fuel and equipment nearby makes the pizza cooking process much easier,' recommends Patrick. 

'Make sure you’ve got the essentials at hand, including pizza peels to safely place your pizza in and out of the oven, rakes and brushes to move wood in the oven, and a decent pizza spinner and cutter.'

While some people have the budget as well as the outdoor space for a whole host of al fresco cooking appliances like the best BBQ and the best pizza oven, we don’t all have expansive, glamorous outdoor kitchen areas. So if you’re choosing just one outdoor cooker, it’s a tough call to make. 

You might not know it, but the two do actually overlap in terms of what they’re capable of cooking. Pizza ovens are not just for pizza, and you can create far more than burgers and bangers on a good BBQ. But having said that, they do each have their strengths, so one of the best ways to decide is to think about what you want to cook the most.

Having reviewed some of the best BBQs and pizza ovens over the last few months, I feel well-versed in both. So I’ve put together some of my thoughts on these two excellent back garden cookers to help you choose which will be most suitable for your summer feasting and entertaining.

What are the main differences between pizza ovens and BBQs?

Both pizza ovens and BBQ’s come in gas or wood/ charcoal options, so the type of fuel they use doesn’t really set them apart. Similarly, they both come in a wide variety of sizes at a range of price levels, so size and price are unlikely to be deciding factors in my opinion.

However, one of the biggest differences is that on a BBQ you’re cooking directly above the heat source on a metal grate. Whereas in a pizza oven, generally the flame is at the back warming the oven, rather than the food directly.

Cooking on the direct heat of a barbecue allows you to cook foods fast, the fat all drips away, and you can enjoy a flame grilled effect on meats. For barbecues without a lid, you’re limited to smaller foods, but with a lid you can perfect techniques of longer slower cooks for larger joints of meat and even whole chickens.

Like the oven in your kitchen, a pizza oven is insulated to keep all the heat inside - especially those with a door, like the Woody Portable Wood Fired Pizza Oven.  And they can get very hot, sometimes temperatures can exceed 450C. This is what enables a pizza oven to cook pizzas in as little as 90 seconds. But you can make use of this intense indirect heat to cook all sorts of other foods. The difference to a BBQ is that meats and other foods cooked in a pizza oven have to be cooked in a skillet, so all the fat and juices are contained.

Can you make pizza on a BBQ?

In short, yes you can cook pizzas on some barbecues if the brand offers a pizza stone accessory. You’ll also need your BBQ to have a lid. The difficulty with cooking pizzas on a BBQ is that while you might be able to get the stone hot, it can be tricky to keep the heat in well enough to properly cook the top. 

This is because every time you open the lid to check on progress, you lose all the heat that’s built up inside it. So, it stands to reason that if you intend to cook a lot of outdoor pizzas you’ll get the best results with a dedicated pizza oven.

How versatile is a pizza oven?

Most of us know what can be cooked on a barbecue and that they can be super versatile, especially if you start adding accessories like a rotisserie kit or a grilling basket for vegetables. But - in part thanks to their name - we often assume a pizza oven is a one-trick-pony. 

In fact, a pizza oven can cook plenty of other foods, giving tasty, smokey results similar to a barbecue. You’ll need some decent cast iron cookware - a good skillet will be able to handle the intensely high temperatures inside a pizza oven without warping or cracking. 

I’ve cooked everything from potatoes, to chicken skewers, and even broccoli in a pizza oven, all with great success. Unless you’ve got a large pizza oven like the huge Gozney Dome, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to cook huge hunks of meat. And you probably wouldn’t want to fire it up just to cook some hotdogs or burgers. In this case, a barbecue is going to be more appropriate.

Once you start scouring the internet for pizza oven recipes you’ll be surprised by the variety, I’ve even found recipes for cookies and brownies baked in a pizza oven - I’ve yet to try them out but can’t wait to see how well they work.

So which one will be right for you?

If you want to cook large joints of meat and whole chickens low and slow, a big BBQ with a lid will serve you well, like our top rated choice the Weber Spirit II-E310  Likewise for the odd burger or chicken thigh, a small portable BBQ, such as the BergHOFF Portable BBQ might be what suits you best.

As I mentioned above, for the odd pizza, a BBQ with a pizza stone will be okay, but for top-notch pizzas you’ll want a pizza oven, such as one of our favourites the Gozney Roccbox. Then you can use it for tasty charred vegetables and meats in a skillet too.

I’m no stranger to cooking outdoors. At the time of writing this, I currently have five barbecues (yes, you read that right) in my garden - two gas, two charcoal and one wood pellet; as well as two of the best pizza ovens, one of which happens to be the new Witt Rotante. 

Pizza ovens are surfing a wave of popularity in the UK right now. Brands like Ooni and Gozney tend to be the most popular and have the widest ranges and fuel options, but there’s a whole host of other companies that produce pizza ovens that cook on gas, wood pellets and/or solid wood. 

Back in frosty February, I was contacted by a new-to-the-UK company called Witt to see if I wanted to test out its new pizza oven. Witt makes two pizza ovens, one is the Fermo, the other is the Rotante. (FYI Fermo means stationary in Italian, Rotante - surprise surprise - means rotating). 

Having used pizza ovens for nearly seven years, the fiddly part of rotating your pizza mid cook has always occasionally resulted in the odd burnt crust. The only tool that I swear by to solve this is the Roccbox turning peel by Gozney but at almost £50 it’s a lot to shell out for a bit of burnt crust.

Regardless, the idea of a pizza oven that does all that hard work for you definitely sounded intriguing so Witt sent me a Rotante oven to test.

Witt Rotante pizza oven product specs

• Fuel: Gas 
• Weight: 37.5kg
• Pizza size: 16 inch
• Preheat time: 15 mins
• Dimensions: H45 x W63 x D75cm
• Warranty: 12 months
• Accessories: None included 

Who tested the Witt Rotante pizza oven?

Unboxing and setting up

Thankfully, pizza ovens don’t tend to be the most complicated things to set up. Unlike barbecues, whose builds vary from the straightforward to requiring a degree in structural engineering, pizza ovens usually come fully formed, requiring minimal building skills. This too was the case with the smart Witt Rotante. 

You’ll need two people to lift it out of the box - as it can handle 16 inch pizzas, it’s a fairly big beast. The box it comes in measures H41 x W75 x D85cm. Once out, you’ll need to place it on a surface that measures at least L65 x D70cm. Packaging is mainly cardboard, with some thick spongy plastic to cushion the pizza stones.

Assembly, as mentioned, is minimal. You need to fit a AAA battery in the ignition. In order to power the rotating base, you can either plug it into an external plug socket with the accompanying lead or install 4 AA batteries into the base of the oven. 

The legs - made from aluminium with rubber feet - fold out from the base (these can be folded inwards again after use to make storage easier).

It’s very slick looking - one would expect that from the Danes - I was sent the graphite model, but there’s a juicy looking orange shade as well as classic black and off-white options, too.

The controls are on the right hand side when you’re facing it and that’s where the gas pipe is connected, too. Next, I slid the main off-white pizza stone into the oven onto the rotating turntable, and finally placed the matching front stone rim in place.

The Rotante doesn’t come with any accessories but you can buy a Witt pizza cover for £45, as well as a variety of pizza peels, cutters and so on.

Getting started

The Witt Rotante comes with a butane regulator. As I already had a propane canister at home that I use with my barbecues and wasn’t keen on shelling out another £100 for a new tank (nor having to store both at home), a quick trip out for a Blooma Propane gas regulator from B&Q allowed me to switch to using propane instead. 

Once you connect the Rotante to your gas canister, it’s a cinch to light. Click the ignition and turn the gas on and you’re up and running. It also has a second burner - the booster burner - which sits under the stone, which you will have to light, too. It’s easy to see if the U-shaped main burner is lit.

The booster burner, as it’s under the stone - isn’t as obvious but there’s a small hole in the side beside the There’s a small peep hole to the right of the control buttons that you can peer into to see if the flame has taken. Finally switch the rotating base button on so the stone starts to slowly spin. Again, all pretty effortless so far.

Next, you need to wait for it to heat up. Witt claims that the oven is ready to use (from 0°- 500°C) in 15 minutes. As with all pizza ovens, this really all depends on the ambient temperature - the colder it is outside, the longer it’ll take to heat up.

On first use I left the oven for around 20 minutes to heat up. As the Rotante doesn’t have an integrated temperature gauge and I didn’t have an infrared thermometer (the gun-shaped ‘point and read’ ones) there was some element of guesswork on my part but waiting the extra five minutes worked a treat.

Making pizza

Pizza dough is really easy to make at home and it's super affordable, too. All you need is Tipo 00 flour, dry yeast, olive oil and a pinch of salt. As we’re a family of three, I tend to only make pizza dough from scratch when having friends over. Thankfully, pizza ovens are so popular these days that it’s now pretty easy to buy ready-made fresh or frozen dough from a whole raft of retailers. I totally rate The Northern Dough Co’s frozen pizza dough from Ocado. Keep it in the freezer and defrost if in the fridge on the day you’re making the pizza. Easy peasy.

Once I spun my pizza dough out into shape, topped it with sauce, grated mozzarella and some fennel salami that I brought home from a recent trip to Florence, I dusted my trusty John Lewis pizza peel with a little semolina and popped the pizza into the centre of the oven and watched.

Much like making pancakes, the first pizza in a batch tends to be hit and miss. It comes out too thick/burnt/undercooked… or all of the above. Not this time. Watching the Rotante slowly spin around with the pizza inside was quite relaxing. There was no panic, no fear of it overcooking on one side - but again, make sure you place your pizza in the centre.

It cooks the pizza very quickly - Witt says it takes a minute and a half, I would say a minute was plenty. Once done, I fished it out with my peel and it was perfect. Crisp base, gooey cheese - top marks.

It turns out this left me feeling a little cocky, so much so that I completely ruined my second pizza by taking it out too quickly and it split in half, dredging cheese and undercooked dough all over the stone.

Aside from losing the pizza, the mess all burnt off quickly, such is the astronomically high heat that it generates inside, so it was soon ready for another pizza. And from there onwards, the Rotante produced flawless pizzas.

While it is big enough to accommodate 16 inch pizzas, I tend to make smaller ones - they’re easier to handle and therefore harder to mess up. You could, at a push, squeeze two small pizzas in the oven at one time, but given that it only takes a pizza a little over a minute to cook, it’s far easier to just stick to one at a time.

Cooking other foods

Pizza ovens aren’t just for pizzas. With a heavy duty cast iron skillet, pan or casserole dish, you can cook a whole load of other dishes, provided they’re quick cook meals and can handle the intense heat. I already had a cast iron pan at home so I used this to cook some lamb cutlets. 

I preheated the pan first - my pan has a handle which protrudes out too far to allow the spinning base to rotate comfortably so I turned the spin function off. Once piping hot, I removed the pan from the oven with my double layered oven gloved hand, added the lamb to the pan and put it back in the oven again.

After just four minutes, the lamb was cooked, charred perfectly on the outside, and cooked just right on the inside (they weren’t thickly cut). I placed them on a warmed plate to rest, gave the pan a quick wipe with some kitchen paper and added some corn on the cob (lightly oiled and salted).

Again, these cooked quickly and brilliantly and once removed and brushed with soft butter, were delicious.

I plan to cook some prawns on it next as I figure they’d work a treat, plus broccoli or courgette are bound to come out charred and super tasty, too.

Cleaning and packing away

As already mentioned, the high temperatures mean that any cleaning is taken care of by the oven itself. Any residual food left on the stone will burn to ash. Having said that, this does leave black marks on the white stone, which isn’t pretty, but consider these your battle scars. 

If you really must clean it, remove the stone only when it has fully cooled, and wipe with water. Don’t use any detergent as this will leave a residue on the surface. You can clean the rest of the oven with a damp cloth and some mild soapy water. 

To pack it away, to simply detach it from the gas canister, fold the legs inwards and store in a shed or garage. Make sure to remove the two pizza stones (the main stone and the banana shaped front lip) before moving it as the oven is seriously heavy and they could dislodge and break when you move it from one place to another. 

How does it compare to other ovens?

As mentioned, I bought my Ooni seven years ago - it was one of the brand’s first models (and no longer available) and it’s quite basic compared to the pizza ovens available today, but it still does the job well. Our top pizza oven pick overall is the Ooni Fyra, which is stripped back but pretty much perfect.

Comparing the Witt Rotante to that, as well my experience having tested the dual fuel Gozney Dome and wood-fired DeliVita ovens such as the DeliVita Outdoor Pizza Oven, the Witt Rotante is far less faff. 

As the Rotante is gas powered, you don’t need to worry about lighting a fire from scratch and thanks to the rotating base, you don’t have to turn your pizza mid cook either. It’s altogether a lot (dare I say it) easier! 

Should you buy the Witt Rotante pizza oven?

If you like the idea of pizza on tap in your back garden with the minimum of effort, then the Witt Rotante is absolutely the best pizza oven for you. It’s not cheap, but that’s mainly because of its size. 

Other pizza ovens on the market that can cook 16 inch pizzas include the Ooni Koda gas oven (£499) and Ooni Karu multi-fuel (£699) and the Gozney Dome (from £1,499) so the Rotante may not be most affordable model, but it has the added bonus of the rotating base which - in my opinion - sets it apart from the cheaper Ooni model.

About the review and the reviewer

This pizza oven was sent to Ginevra free of charge by Witt. They let her keep the oven for prolonged testing which she carried out between March and June 2023. She has been allowed to keep it in order to update the review over time.

Treat your father figure to something extra special this Father's Day with 20% off selected Gozney products – including our shopping editor's favourite pizza oven, knocking £80 off its usual price point and we think it's a steal.

With summer fast approaching comes the season to bring out the outdoor appliances, perfect for grilling fresh food in the sunshine. For dads who are tech-savvy or simply food fanatics, consider treating them this Father's Day, Sunday 18th June, to some of the best pizza ovens and more to ensure he stays with plenty of outdoor entertaining shenanigans all summer long – what are dads for, right?

Gozney Father's Day sale – get 20% off selected products

If you're searching high and wide for a Father's Day gift, it might just be your lucky day as premium outdoor oven brand, Gozney, is hosting a sale from 11th-18th June that falls perfectly for the onset of Father's Day, not to mention, marking the start of summer BBQs and garden parties alike.

If you've been eyeing either the Ideal Home-approved Gozney Roccbox pizza oven, Gozney Dome outdoor oven, or any other outdoor appliance accessories, there's no better time than now to snatch one up than in this sale if you want to make this a Father's Day to remember.

The Gozney Roccbox is the outdoor appliance our editor is obsessed with and will be using all summer long, and in the sale you'll be able to get your hands on one for £80 off, bringing it down from £399 to £319.

'After reviewing it, I can safely say the Gozney Roccbox is a fantastic pizza oven and one that will prove invaluable for creating the opportunity for fun summer evenings outdoors. It's a great multi-fuel option with the versatility to cook with either wood or gas. At 20% off, now is a fab time to invest,' says our Ecommerce Editor, Molly Cleary.

Molly adds, 'And if you've already got a Roccbox, then you can use this Father's Day sale instead to stock up on accessories. I've tried the Gozney turning peel and the pizza rocker – both are real high-quality buys. If your Dad is a pizza lover, he's sure to appreciate the extras to go along with his oven!'

What's more, if you order between the 11th-18th June, you can enjoy 20% off not only on Gozney's Roccbox oven but also on selected accessories, as well as receiving a free cover and placement peel bundle when you order the Gozney Dome.

We're telling you – run, don't walk! This is a deal not to be missed.

Pizza is one of those universally loved foods, a total crowd-pleaser. But making it from scratch and baking it in your regular oven can give disappointingly average results. If you want to elevate your homemade pizza to create the best possible flavour and texture, investing in one of the best pizza ovens is absolutely the way to go.

It's understandable if you’re worried that cooking in a wood fired pizza oven will be too much of a hassle, or even if you think it sounds quite intimidating. Let me assure you, this new breed of small portable pizza ovens make it a joy. The tiny wood pellets are easy to use, virtually mess-free and heat up super fast. All you have to do is perfect your dough-making skills and decide on some toppings.

I’ve recently been initiated into the world of back garden pizza ovens and I think they’re great. But if you’re unsure whether it’ll be for you, it can be hard to justify spending the money. At around £160 the Vonhaus Outdoor Pizza Oven is more affordable than most. So I tried it out to see if you still bake a tasty pizza in a more budget friendly pizza oven.

 Vonhaus Outdoor Pizza Oven product specs:  

• Fuel: wood pellets
• Weight: 11.5kg
• Pizza size: 13 inch
• Preheat time: 15 minutes
• Dimensions: 72 x 36 x 70cm

Who tested this pizza oven?

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions 

The pizza oven came in a manageable box, but it is packed with polystyrene inserts - my biggest packaging bugbear. That said, it’s well protected and came out of the box without any dents. You will need a screwdriver to attach the handle to the door as well as to screw the hopper into position. But everything else simply slots into place and the whole unboxing and assembly took around 20 minutes.

The wood pellet drawer slides into the back of the oven and an ash collection tray slides in below it to collect any ash that falls through. There’s a removable dual purpose handle that hooks onto the pellet rack when you want to remove it, or it can be used to open up the hopper, where you can feed in more wood pellets during cooking.

For easier storage the chimney unscrews and the four legs fold up to make it more compact. The square pizza stone easily slides into position and can be removed for cleaning. There’s a small hook at the top of the opening that holds the door in place so you have to tilt it slightly to remove it. Keep in mind you’ll need somewhere heatproof to rest it though.

It comes with a scoop for topping up the wood pellets, but you’ll need to buy a bag of these and some natural firelighters, because it doesn’t come with any to get you started. I'd also recommend an infrared thermometer for checking the pizza stone is at the optimum temperature, and a pizza peel. Vonhaus sells a pizza peel for £19.99, but I used one I already have.

The instruction manual is very brief and I’d be inclined to disagree with some of the points. I don’t think you should smear oil on the pizza stone and make your pizza on it before putting it in the oven. The whole point is that the pizza stone gets hot and then you add your pizza directly to the hot stone - no oil needed.

Thankfully I’ve used pizza ovens before so I don’t really need comprehensive instructions. But if you’re new to this style of cooking, I’d recommend reading our guide on how to get the best from your pizza oven and watching some videos online on how to use similar pellet style pizza ovens before you begin. This will enable you to get the most out of it from the get-go.

Overall my first impression is that despite being a relatively affordable option, this stainless steel pizza oven feels well made. The wood handles are a nice touch, it’s very stable and it definitely looks the part. There’s no recipe book included, so you’ll need to do your research and find a good pizza base recipe.

What’s it like to use

I loaded the wood pellet rack with pellets and lit a natural fire lighter on top, before sliding it all into position in the back of the oven. The instructions advise waiting 10-15 minutes for the oven to heat up. I kept an eye on it, but gave it 15 minutes. I have an infrared thermometer, so was able to double check the temperature of the stone before adding a pizza. It was around 390C so 15 minutes was about right.

At this point I launched my first pizza onto the hot stone. If you’re new to pizza ovens I’d highly recommend dusting the peel with semolina, this makes the pizza slide smoothly from the peel onto the stone, but getting the hang of launching a pizza into the oven is a part of the process that takes a little practice.

I turned the pepperoni pizza about four times and it took four minutes to cook. Part way through cooking, I loaded in more pellets and one thing I noticed with this pizza oven is that when you add more pellets, the flame quickly gets very big and whips across the top of the oven, to the point that you even see a flame coming out of the top of the chimney. This means that if you add pellets while a pizza is cooking, the top browns fast.

After cooking the first pizza, I added a scoop full of pellets and left it for about five minutes while I made up a margarita. This pizza cooked in two minutes, so it was obviously a bit hotter this time. Both had light crispy crusts with charred spots and nicely cooked bases. The results far exceed what you’ll achieve in a kitchen oven, but you have to be on the ball, turning the pizza regularly and keeping the pellets topped up.

In comparison to the Ooni Fyra that I recently reviewed, this pizza oven seems to burn through the pellets faster. The other thing is that when I loaded in a big scoop of pellets in one go, I noticed some soot deposits on the crust of the pizza. So, the second time I used it to make pizzas I got the hang of loading in smaller quantities of pellets more frequently, which still created a big flame across the top of the oven, but I felt more in control. Smaller but more frequent loading of pellets also seemed to deposit less soot onto the food, though you still get a lot on the inside of the door.

The next time I made pizzas I used a dry pizza mix from the supermarket, the kind that just requires a bit of water and oil added - it’s a very easy and convenient way of doing it. I made a spicy sausage pizza, a vegetarian pizza and two cheesy garlic pizza breads. Plus I had a bit of dough left at the end so I baked it as a flatbread with no toppings and popped it in the freezer.

This time I didn’t actually use my infrared thermometer, I simply allowed it to heat up for 15 minutes. Then after each pizza I loaded in more wood pellets and let it heat up again while I went back to the kitchen to quickly prepare the next one. I probably gave it around 5 minutes between each pizza and this worked perfectly.

It’s easy to achieve fantastically crisp and well baked pizzas in this oven once you get the hang of how to use it. The big caveat being that the pizza dough you use will have a huge impact on the result and you must check and turn the pizzas frequently.

You can, in addition to pizza, cook plenty of other perhaps suprising foods in a pizza oven. So I heated a cast iron pan and when it was hot, I threw in a pan full of par-boiled new potatoes. I’d oiled and seasoned the potatoes before adding to the hot dry pan.

I kept topping up the pellets and stirred the potatoes a few times, but within 15 minutes, they were crisped and charred and delicious. Once again, I noticed a small amount of soot deposited on the potatoes during cooking, which seems to be a bit of a quirk of this oven, but I’m fine with it.

After the potatoes I popped some chicken and chorizo skewers in on a baking tray, these took just under 15 minutes to cook since I hadn’t preheated the tray first. But it just goes to show, pizza ovens are not just for pizza and you really can get quite inventive with what you cook in them.

I noticed that if you slide out the pellet tray when hot, you do risk burning pellets falling out onto your table and scorching it. So it’s best to leave it closed and only open the top hopper during use.

 Cleaning and storage

There’s not a huge amount of cleaning to do, which is a joy. Once cooled, there’s a very small amount of ash to empty from both the ash tray and the pellet tray. Then if you want to remove the pizza stone to clean it you can, but in my opinion it’s really not necessary to wash it regularly. You’re best off brushing away any loose residues and then next time you light the oven, the intense heat will sanitise it.

If the exterior needs a wipe, it’s stainless steel so can easily be cleaned. Then, to store, the legs all fold flat and the chimney is removable so it’s quite compact. Unfortunately Vonhaus doesn’t sell a weatherproof cover or bag for it. So you’re best keeping it in a shed or garage when not in use.

How does it compare to similar pizza ovens?

The Ooni Fyra is a similar size wood fired pizza oven from one of the best known pizza oven brands. Granted, at first glance it looks pretty similar to the Vonhaus so you’d be forgiven for wondering if it’s worth £100 more. But the design is slightly more finessed so if you’re looking for a pizza oven that offers more than the entry-level Vonhaus model, it’s a great option.

Its self-feeding hopper allows you to load it up so you can concentrate on cooking pizzas and not have to feed it with wood as frequently. Plus, the damper in the chimney gives more control over the airflow and smoke inside the oven. And the door conveniently hooks on to the oven so you don’t have to figure out where to rest it while you tend to your pizza. These small details actually make a big difference to the overall experience.

Another pizza oven we love is the Gozney Roccbox, it’s a fantastic dual fuel oven. So if you’re struggling to decide whether to choose a gas or wood fired pizza oven, why not get one that can do both. At £400 it’s a bit of an investment though and if you want to make use of its wood fired capabilities, you have to pay extra for the attachment. That said, it’s a great bit of kit that’ll look really nice on your patio and make delicious pizza to boot.

Should you buy the Vonhaus Outdoor Pizza Oven? 

In my opinion this is a good entry-level pizza oven, it’s budget friendly and easy to use. It does have a few drawbacks, like the speed at which it burns through pellets and the way the flame whips across the top of the oven. But all-in-all there’s nothing that’s a deal breaker. Once I’d used it a few times and got to grips with its quirks, I was happily turning out excellent quality pizzas.

So if you want to get cooking in the garden and you’re bored of burnt sausages cooked on the BBQ, I’d definitely recommend you try your hand at creating restaurant quality pizza. With the Vonhaus pizza oven, you can start honing your pizza oven skills without having to invest several hundred pounds to get started. But do be prepared to invest a bit of time in finding the right pizza base recipe and learning the skills, like how to launch a pizza onto the stone. 

About this review, and the reviewer 

In line with our guidelines on how we test products that we recommend, our expert freelance reviewer Helen tested this pizza oven out for us at home with a variety of foods before coming to the conclusions you can read here. 

I’ve recently been reviewing some of the best pizza ovens and was amazed at how versatile they are. Contrary to what’s suggested by the name, these fiercely hot outdoor ovens are not just for pizza, they can be used to create all sorts of tasty dishes. So if you’re thinking of getting a pizza oven, or if you have one that you’ve only ever used for pizza, take note.

First though, don’t start throwing food directly onto your pizza stone. Most foods work best when cooked in a cast iron skillet or on a sturdy tray. You wouldn’t want your pizza stone to become saturated with meat fats, what’s more, smaller foods like vegetables would be too tricky to handle if not contained. 

So, if you’re serious about cooking in your pizza oven, I’d suggest investing in some of the best cast iron cookware, namely a skillet, that can handle the intense heat. Additionally, a very good fire proof or heat proof glove is essential. Your usual oven glove won’t cut it when removing the super hot skillet from the pizza oven.

Written by our cooking expert 

 So, what foods can you cook in a pizza oven? 

 Meats

You can cook all sorts of meats in a pizza oven. Just like a barbecue it can create a deliciously gnarly charred and crispy exterior while leaving the inside pink, which is perfect for red meats like steak and lamb. Skin-on chicken legs or thighs also work well, just be sure to check they’re cooked thoroughly inside.

 Vegetables

Even delicate vegetables like tenderstem broccoli can be successfully cooked in your pizza oven. Most vegetables benefit from a light coating of oil, salt and pepper before you add them to the hot skillet. The key is then to keep an eye on them and turn regularly - they won’t take long.

 Potatoes

If you’re looking for crispy potatoes, I’d highly recommend trying them in a pizza oven. The very high heat creates a great texture, but they don’t take long to crisp up and brown, so I like to boil them first. That way, you can focus on creating the perfect crispy exterior without worrying whether the inside is cooked.

 Bread

There are lots of recipes and videos online for pizza oven bread rolls as well as fancier breads like sourdough baguette or focaccia. Baking perfect bread might require some trial and error, but it stands to reason that flatbreads and naans should work well in a pizza oven, so if in doubt start with these.

Fish

Robust fish like salmon that benefits from being seared will work well in a pizza oven, but keep a keen eye on it and don’t put it too close to the flame.

Desserts

An obvious starting point is dessert pizza, which just means switching up your pizza toppings and adding things like nutella and marshmallow. But if you’re feeling more adventurous, a big skillet cookie is worth a try, especially as it doesn’t matter if it’s a bit undercooked and gooey in the centre.

What foods should you avoid?

Anything that requires a long slow cook

The great thing about pizza ovens is the intense heat, so avoid foods that work best when cooked low and slow like casseroles.

Big joints of meat

Even if you can fit it into your pizza oven, It’ll be difficult to get enough heat into the centre of a large roasting joint or whole chicken. You’re likely to end up with something that’s cremated on the outside and raw in the middle.

Foods that burn easily

Be careful with very sugary foods like chocolate. But also very delicate foods, super thin and delicate fish fillets will be tricky to get right in this intense heat.

My advice is have fun with it, check online recipes and experiment. The worst that’ll happen is your creation goes wrong and you learn for next time. The resources available on Ooni's website and Gozney's website are also fab places to start.

Everyone loves pizza, it’s such a crowd pleasing food, so it’s no wonder pizza ovens have exploded in popularity. Especially considering how many more of us found a love of baking and cooking during the lockdowns. The idea of entertaining your friends whilst serving up top quality pizza, with a delicate wood smoke aroma filling the garden, is simply dreamy.

But, the best pizza ovens aren't cheap, they’re usually several hundred pounds, so it’s not something you want to fail at. And having recently reviewed two of Ooni’s top pizza ovens, I believe the more you know, the better your pizza oven experience will be and so it follows, the more you will use and enjoy it. So here’s my list of the most useful things I think you need to know… 

Written by our cooking expert 

 1. Choose a good spot for your pizza oven 

Positioning is everything, ideally the pizza oven should be up on a heat proof table so you can stand at it. This means you can see inside easily and launch pizzas onto the stone without bending into a weird crouch. 

Smaller models like the Ooni Fyra (which you can read my review of) are easier to position, while portable models like the Gozney Roccbox have the edge when it comes to venturing with your oven outside of the house. 

2.  Invest in a good peel (or two) 

The best pizza oven accessories can make a big difference, and withough a pizza peel you’ll find it virtually impossible to get pizzas in and out of the pizza oven, so don’t even hesitate in ordering one of these. I have two, one that I use during cooking to turn and remove the pizza. Meanwhile the other one can be loaded up with the next pizza ready for cooking. A word of warning though, don’t leave an uncooked pizza on the peel for too long or it’ll stick. 

3.  Use semolina to dust bases 

To help avoid the problem of pizzas sticking to the peel or worktop, I find a generous dusting of fine semolina works wonders. And unlike flour, it doesn’t soak into the dough which can potentially dry it out. 

4.  Don’t overload on toppings 

This one is hard at first and it’s always tempting to add lots of tasty toppings. But if you go overboard it can affect how the base cooks and stop it from crisping properly. Don’t forget there are lots of additional toppings you add after cooking like rocket and parmesan shavings, to give you pizza extra pizazz.

5.  Make sharing pizzas 

You may need to wait up to five minutes between pizzas for the stone to heat back up to the right temperature, so it can get pretty awkward if you’re doing an individual pizza for everyone, not to mention stressful. I’d suggest going for a relaxed sharing style of dining and choose crowd pleasing toppings, then chuck a couple of big bowls of salad on the table for good measure. 

6. Always check the temperature of the pizza stone 

You’ll come unstuck if you start loading pizzas onto a pizza stone that's too cold or even too hot. An infrared thermometer is easy to use, inexpensive and makes all the difference. 

7. Prepare well 

Once your pizza oven is hot and ready to cook, you need to be ready too. So I find it helps to get the dough stretched and all your toppings ready to go in bowls while the pizza oven is heating up. Then when it’s hot enough to cook in, assembly is quick and stress-free. 

8. Turn frequently 

In the smaller back garden pizza ovens, the heat is usually very concentrated at the back of the oven. This means it’s vital that you turn the pizza as frequently as every 20-30 seconds for the most evenly crisp and browned crust. 

9. Experiment with cooking other foods 

There are so many other foods that you can cook in a pizza oven, I enjoyed cooking meat, smoky charred potatoes and even vegetables so much that I even wrote about all the surprising things you can cook in a pizza oven. You won’t have to do much scrolling to come across exciting non-pizza recipes. 

10. Have fun

It might be last on the list but this is the most important. Cooking pizzas in the garden is super fun, so relax and enjoy it! 

Ever dreamt of being able to make a pizza just as good as the ones you have delivered from a takeaway? Me too, especially after many mediocre attempts on 'make your own pizza nights' using an oven growing up. 

That's where Gozney comes in; a brand with a mission to 'change the way the world cooks outdoors'. I'd say it's going pretty well so far, with a brand name that's instantly recognisable as a creator of some of the best pizza ovens on the market. 

The Roccbox is the brand's 'restaurant-grade portable pizza oven'. If you're skeptical, then here's a fun fact - Gozney actually supplies the ovens for one of the best-loved pizza restaurants out there at the minute - Franco Manca. 

The Roccbox, by pizza oven standards, is a fairly small portable model, with features that make it easy to set up and use. It comes with a gas burner, but you can pay an extra £100 to enjoy a wood burner attachment. Available with a yellow, olive or grey heat-proof silicone jacket, it's a stylish pick too. 

As you might have guessed from the 5-star rating, I'm a huge fan of this pizza oven and its various talents. If you like cooking, and plan to spend a lot of time outdoors this summer, then the Roccbox is a purchase well worth your investment.

Gozney Roccbox product specs 

• Fuel: Wood & Gas 
• Weight: 20kg 
• Pizza size: 12 inch
• Preheat time: 20 minutes with gas, up to 50 with wood 
• Dimensions: 41x 53 x 47 cm
• Warranty: 5 years

Who tested the Gozney Roccbox?

Unboxing and setting up 

I was kindly sent the Gozney Roccbox by Gozney to test out for the purposes of this review. So that I could get the full picture of how you can use a Roccbox the brand also sent along a range of accessories. For clarity, it's worth establishing what comes as standard as opposed to the extras that I used throughout the review.

In the box with your portable pizza oven, you'll find a professional-grade pizza peel (which other brands require you to purchase separately), a detachable gas burner, and a manual. 

Gozney additionally sent me the Roccbox wood burner attachment; it turns the Roccbox into a multi-fuel oven. 

I also used the Roccbox Turning Peel, which was a godsend alongside the larger, standard peel to help with turning the pizza once it was actually in the oven. It's not exactly essential, but it is very handy. 

Other non-essentials (that I absolutely loved using, mind you) were the Pizza Rocker and Roccbox Mantel. The former is the biggest upgrade on a pizza cutter I can imagine, and the latter creates a shelf that you can turn your pizza on - I can imagine it's perfect for taking your Roccbox to the beach (which I'm definitely going to try).

Getting started with the Roccbox was much easier than I expected it to be. The pizza oven comes fully assembled, and all you need to do is pull out the retractable legs and attach the gas or wood burner, both of which screw on at the base.

The Gozney Roccbox weighs a considerable amount, which is why the carry-strap which was included with my oven was so handy. It means that you can use a handle rather than trying to lift it from the base. 

I know it's rare, but the idea that you can actually 'set up in minutes' is actually, for once, true. Unlike some of the best BBQs, this is an outdoor buy that takes hardly any preparation if you're hosting a garden party. 

Using the gas burner to make pizza 

I started with using gas burner, the standard with the Roccbox. I quickly found that using a gas pizza oven is much easier and quicker than burning wood, as was also the case in our Ooni Koda review. 

With the Roccbox you simply attach the burner, ignite it and keep an eye on the temperature gauge as it begins to rise. If you haven't prepped your pizzas fully yet, using the gas burner gives you the flexibility to get to those other tasks (sprinkling mozzarella and such) done without needing to tend to the oven much at all. 

Within 25 to 30 minutes the Roccbox was at the right temperature to make a start, which you can see on the inbuilt temperature gauge. 

I tested the gas burner on the Roccbox on a cold, windy day in winter and found myself imagining that the temperature probably would have risen a lot quicker if the conditions were a bit more accommodating. 

One basic tip that is not to be overlooked if you're cooking when it's windy is to face your oven so that wind is travelling across the oven towards the front, rather than through the chamber. 

The actual cooking time when using the gas burner was extremely quick, which is why Gozney claim that you can 'cook in seconds' with this oven. 

This was good due to the fact that it was getting dark quickly in the after-work hours I was testing this oven, but less advantageous due to the fact I was a newbie and not quite sure how long I needed to go before turning the pizzas.

Nevertheless, cooking with the gas element of the Roccbox was a success - the pizzas were delicious and the bases well done. It was easy to cook multiple pizzas in one sitting, as I didn't find that the pizza stone lost substantial heat as I went. 

You have to be on the ball with using gas to make sure your toppings don't burn, and on this first outing I definitely learnt one of the tips of using a pizza oven is that less is more when it comes to toppings. 

Using the wood burner to make pizza 

It's not as quick or as maintenance-free as cooking with gas, but I preferred using the wood burner on the Gozney Roccbox as it felt a bit more like you were getting the full pizza oven experience. 

The burner has a basket which you can pull in and out as you add wood and a tool which allows you to do that safely. I added wood every 3-4 minutes, and at around the 40-minute mark, the oven was hot enough to use. 

As it's more labour-intensive, it meant that my pizzas needed to be ready to go before I started fuelling up. I followed Gozney's dough recipe which came in the manual and it was a surprise success but does require prep, so you do need to be a bit more organised with your timings if you want the wood-fired effect. 

I found that you have a bit more time when using wood, meaning that I made the most of the turning peel, and was really happy with the all-over cook. This was my first time using a pizza oven (hence the misshape - the initial shove into the oven is harder than it looks).

There's so many unexpected foodstuffs that you can cook in a pizza oven, from fish to cookies, and Gozney has covered loads of them on their website and in the included booklet, which I'd recommend taking a look at. 

I tried out some garlic pizza bread with my leftover dough and loved it, as well as making some other pizzas in the same sitting for a dinner with my family. It was fun getting family members to cook their own pizza, and if you add some additional wood into the burner before every pizza then you get that lovely, impressive rolling flame effect too.

Cleaning and packing away 

I discovered there's not much to cleaning a pizza oven. Once cooled (I waited until the next morning), I wiped the inside down with a damp microfibre cloth and got rid of any crumbs and cheese. 

The exterior of the oven is covered in silicone to keep you and those around you safe as you use it, and also makes for an easy surface to wipe down. Gozney kindly sent me the Roccbox cover (£39.99) which made storage a lot easier in winter, and features another heavy-duty strap so that you can carry it around with the cover on, too. 

How does it compare to other pizza ovens?

Gozney is a huge player in the pizza oven game, and the Roccbox is the affordable, portable alternative to its other offering, the Gozney Dome, which you can read all about in our Gozney Dome review. 

Comparing the two, the top line is that the Dome is a lot more money to invest (£1,799.00), and though it does produce mouthwatering results and look great, it's only really worth it if you're seriously into your outdoor cooking already. An oven to upgrade to, in short. The Roccbox is much more entry-level appropriate at £399.00 and super easy to get going with, either with gas or wood. 

Competitors of course include Ooni and Woody, and one multi-fuel option to compare to is the Ooni Karu which has an RRP of £699. For that price, you don't get the gas burner included, but our reviewer did find it to be a very competent choice, with a huge internal capacity and a viewing window to keep in heat and allow you to watch your pizzas as they cook. 

Like the Gozney Dome, the Ooni Karu is more of a choice for seasoned outdoor chefs, while the Ooni Koda is an entry-level gas oven which scored four and a half stars from our (very hard to impress) reviewer. It does however lose points due to the fact it can't convert into a wood-burning oven, which the Roccbox obviously can. 

Should you buy the Gozney Roccbox?

The Gozney Roccbox is the most fun I've had testing an appliance, and I've reviewed my fair share in the last few years. I'll admit I was a bit daunted by the process before I started as a first-timer, but using the Roccbox and accompanying materials was a breeze, from making the Gozney dough to turning the pizzas. 

This is a high-quality buy, which obviously comes with a high-quality price tag, but if you have the money to invest then the Roccbox will make your garden a more fun place to be for many summers to come. I can just see the pizza parties now. User reviews on Amazon have the same feeling, with 89% of them naming this oven a five-star buy. 

Great fun, and easy to use, I find it very easy to recommend the Gozney Roccbox wholeheartedly. One caveat is that I did have a full range of accessories to make the process a little easier, which will obviously start to rack up, so keep an eye out for bundle deals, like this one on Amazon, for the best possible pizza-making experience. 

About this review, and the reviewer 

Molly tried out the Gozney Roccbox in her parents' garden in March (which still somehow felt like the depths of winter). Despite the rainy and windy conditions, the Roccbox performed excellently, proving you can use a pizza oven in the rain, which is a high probability in the British summertime. She's tried her hand at pizzas, and next she's going to work her way through Gozney's recipe offerings.

Tucking into a pizza is an unparalleled delight. That's why it's no surprise that demand grows every year for pizza ovens at home, with all of us wondering how we can replicate this Italian classic in our back gardens. 

What's more, as the sun starts to shine, one of the best pizza ovens is also a way to bring the whole family together outside, with a delectable end result to tuck into as a reward for manning the fire. 

Whether it's a pizza party in the garden you have in mind or an oven you can transport to the beach, Ooni is one of (if not the) top-rated pizza brands out there in terms of quality, as we delved into in our feature on Ooni vs Gozney, another titan brand.

To get you one step closer to a homemade Margherita, we'll be breaking down which Ooni will suit you and why based on our experience with the options we've tried and loved here at Ideal Home. We've tried every Ooni that's been released yet, so it's fair to say that we're big fans.

Which Ooni pizza oven should you buy?

Are Ooni pizza ovens worth it?

It's worth taking a look at why Ooni is such a major player in the pizza oven game. Ooni aims to elevate pizza at home from a frozen food into a fun outdoor (and now indoor!) activity, but not one that's too technical at the same time. It's a hard ask, especially given the British weather that all of us are working with.

The way Ooni do that is to create ovens that can reach ultra-high temperatures and stay there. Our top-rated pizza oven, the Ooni Karu, reached 500°C in 15 minutes during our tests and was then capable of cooking a pizza in 60 seconds (provided the base was thin enough -it's a learning curve). 

500°C is, apparently, the number you need on the temperature gauge if you want a pizza that's crispy on the outside but perfectly cooked in the middle. 

Our previous Head of Reviews Millie Fender is a signed-up Ooni fan, saying 'I rate them more than other pizza ovens, as in my experience they heat up and maintain their heat better than competitors. It means they're more efficient, and you spend less money on fuel in the long run. 

You also don't have to wait long periods for your oven to get to the optimum temperature again, so your pizza party can go on undisturbed.' 

Beyond the ability to make you into a perfect pizza maker, Ooni also has a great range, with prices starting at £299. Yes, their highest-end option does come in at £799, which is a little eye-watering, but at least you know that Ooni is good enough to cater to newbies and pizzaiolos alike. 

The brand uses durable materials to craft the ovens, and offers a reassuring three-year warranty if you buy through the site, should anything go wrong, as well as a wealth of recipes and help on the Ooni website. 

After testing Ooni ovens for ourselves at Ideal Home, our stand-out benefit is just how much you can do with these ovens. Our reviewers have tried everything from fajitas to potatoes in these ovens, with results that can genuinely rival the best BBQs. That means that they're certainly multi-functional buys.

We know versatility is super important when it comes to big-ticket purchases so that you can get your money's worth, which is why the ability to try so many recipes earns a big tick from us. 

Another huge benefit with Ooni in 2024 is that they do in fact have an indoor option now too, which is electric. The Ooni Volt has been a total game-changer for those without a garden, with the ability to run this oven inside, and still reach those super high temperatures needed for Neopolitan pizzas. We've been trying it out for a few months, and we love it.

It is worth noting that, on the downside, Ooni pizza ovens don't come fully equipped with everything you need from the offset. You'll need a pizza peel to pop your dough into the oven and remove it successfully, which you can buy separately (and a bit cheaper on Amazon). Ooni ovens also don't have heat-safe exteriors, so always take care while using them and afterwards, as it gets seriously hot.

Let's start with the basics, which are the budget, space and skillset you're working with. 

If you're just getting started, and tend to find an overcomplicated set-up an immediate deterrent, then a gas-powered option (the Koda) will probably suit you, as these ovens take the least time to get you from unboxing to a perfectly cooked Haiiwian (controversially). 

If you're an aficionado of the pizza game already, then why not upgrade when it comes to size and fuel type, and give yourself every possible option available, so that your next pizza party goes down in the history books? You can do that best with the Karu, which has a viewing window and door to keep it at an optimum temperature too. 

The Karu and Koda both come in 12 and 16-inch size options, so there's really a model to suit everyone regardless of how you want to fuel your oven, and how big your garden is. It's best illustrated in this size comparison chart, from Ooni, which outlines all of the key metrics you need as you choose. 

Meanwhile, if you only have indoor space to work with, or if you have a suitable balcony space (with an outdoor plug handy!), then the Volt will be the choice for you. The same goes for if you prefer electric BBQs (which are all the rage) thanks to how convenient they are to set up and run.

How do the Ooni Karu, Koda and Fyra compare?

So, which Ooni pizza oven is best?

Our reviews of Ooni pizza ovens have never scored less than 4.5 stars out of five, so you're in safe hands regardless of your final choice. Plus, with the announcement of a brand new supersized Ooni, the Koda 2 Max, we're prepared for the possibility that the best model out there might be about to change. 

But for right now, if you want to know the one that we rank as the absolute unbeatable, tell-your-friends best? It's the Karu, which will keep a pizza enthusiast busy for years to come, with extras like the in-built temperature gauge and viewing window which make the mega price tag hurt a little less. 

But as you already know by now, the objectively best choice is not necessarily the oven for you. The more affordable options from the brand, like the Fyra at half the price, a compact, portable, easy to use and clean buy too, were almost impossible to fault in our at-home tests. 

With all that said and done, all that's left to do is start perfecting your dough-making skills for when your Ooni arrives at your door.

Although traditional pizza ovens cook pizza to perfection using the intense heat from a wood fire, that doesn’t mean this is the only route to great tasting pizza. Just like barbecues, there are gas pizza ovens too, and the Koda is a gas fired model available from one of the best pizza oven brands, Ooni.

The Ooni Koda 12 is very similar to the wood fired Ooni Fyra except it connects to a gas bottle so there’s less mess. And keeping the flame going doesn’t require the same level of attention that a wood fired one does, so it’s a bit easier to use and as well as more predictable.

I’m not used to cooking outdoors on gas, I’ve always been a fan of charcoal barbecues and campfires. To me cooking on gas outside is kind of cheating, like if you’re cooking outside it should be smoky and messy and a bit difficult at times. But the Ooni Koda has changed my mind. I might not be fully converted to gas, but I’m happy to tell you I enjoyed cooking with it and the results were far tastier than I expected. Contrary to my original expectation, the Koda is not a lesser version of the wood-fired alternatives.

Ooni Koda 12 product specs 

• Fuel: Gas
• Hose: 120 cm
•  Weight: 9.25kg
• Pizza size: 12 inch
• Preheat time: 15 minutes
• Dimensions: 62 x 39 x 29cm
• Warranty: 3 years

Who tested the Ooni Koda?

Unboxing and setting up

The Ooni Koda appeared on my doorstep in its fully recyclable cardboard packaging, and it came out of the box assembled and ready to go. All I had to do was slide the pizza stone inside and unfold the legs. The gas hose is pre assembled so that when I’m ready to start cooking I just need to connect the push-on gas fitting to my gas bottle.

At the back of the pizza oven, next to the gas hose there’s a control knob. Turning this not only switches on the gas flow, but also the ignition spark, so there’s no need to get inside with a match to light the flame.

One thing I immediately noticed is that unlike the Ooni Fyra, there’s no door to keep the heat in. Likewise, there’s no chimney or wood hopper, so even though internally it’s the same size, externally it’s more compact. But otherwise, the two feel very similar.

If you don’t have one, you will need to purchase a gas bottle, like the ones used for gas barbecues. You’ll also need an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the pizza stone, as this is the only way you’ll know when it’s reached the right temperature to cook pizza - guessing is just too risky!

Additionally you’ll need a peel, this big pizza size spatula is what you’ll use to launch the pizza onto the pizza stone as well as remove it once cooked. Ooni sells all the essential accessories separately as well as many more to help you get the most out of your pizza oven.

Getting started 

With the gas fired Ooni there’s really nothing to it. I turned the knob to let the gas flow and this automatically triggered the ignition and lit the flame. Then it was simply a case of waiting for the stone to heat up enough which takes around 15 – 20 minutes.

On one particularly blustery day it did struggle to hit 400oC and I found myself wishing it had a door on the front that I could close to keep the heat in. So if you do live in an area prone to stronger winds, you’ll have to keep this in mind and try to find a sheltered spot for it.

One thing I did before making my first pizza was to read through all the hints and tips on the Ooni website and watch some of the many YouTube video tutorials. These offer guidance on how to use an Ooni as well as how to make, shape and cook your pizzas and I’d highly recommend watching and reading through this information to give yourself a head start. What’s more, there’s a handy Ooni app to help you calculate your dough ingredients. 

Making pizza 

I started my Ooni Koda journey with two simple pizzas, a margarita and a pepperoni. I used Ooni’s recommended dough recipe and was surprised at how easy the dough was to manage and stretch into shape. Ooni says to add toppings after the dough is on the peel, so that it’s easy to load straight into the pizza oven. This means you have to resist the temptation to make up pizzas too early, they’re best made right before cooking.

I found semolina worked better than flour to stop the dough sticking to the peel and another useful - but tricky to stick to – bit of advice, is that less is definitely more when it comes to toppings. Adding too much can weigh down the pizza and both make it hard to handle as well as potentially leave you with a soft base.

Sliding the pizza from the peel onto the hot pizza stone wasn’t too tricky. My pizzas took about two minutes to cook and it’s important to turn the pizza every 20 – 30 seconds to get a good, evenly browned and crisped crust.

You’ll need to leave about five minutes between pizzas because the pizza stone cools down during cooking and it needs to regain some heat ready for the next pizza. Once I realised this, I was making amazing pizzas from the get-go and was impressed with how easy it is to get to grips with. 

Cheesy garlic pizza bread was another favourite that cooked really well in the Ooni. Overall I was surprised at how, despite being a gas fired pizza oven, the pizzas made in the Koda were very similar to those I made in the wood fired Ooni Fyra and had deliciously crisp and charred crusts, just how I like them.

It’s actually not the pizza oven that takes time to master, I’d say making and shaping a great dough is the skill that might take a bit of practice, especially if you’re new to making bread dough. But that’s half the fun, and if all else fails, you can buy pizza mix from Ooni and they even sell frozen dough balls online, which really takes the thinking out of making excellent pizza.

Cooking other foods 

With its dial to control the flame, the Ooni Koda offers plenty of scope for cooking all sorts of other foods. I managed to find a cast iron skillet in my kitchen that would fit inside, but Ooni sells them too or you can use a baking tray.

While preheating the skillet in the pizza oven for five minutes, I chopped onions and peppers and coated them in oil and fajita spices. I put the vegetables in the skillet and turned and checked them frequently. After just 10 minutes they had cooked into a deliciously charred tasty fajita mix.

On another occasion, I used the skillet to cook four chicken thighs. I had to turn the flame down because they were burning on the outside without cooking properly in the middle. But with the flame on low, and with regular turns, they cooked really well. Juicy and succulent on the inside, with crisp gnarly charred skin that could rival results you'd see from the best BBQs. 

Aside from pizza the list of foods that can be cooked in the Ooni is endless, from meats, to vegetables, potatoes and more. The Ooni website and app both offer up plenty of recipe ideas and inspiration.

Cleaning and packing away 

After the gas has been switched off and disconnected, you’ll have to wait for about an hour for the oven to be cool enough to pack away. Generally, the Koda doesn’t need much cleaning since the super high temperatures burn away any residues on the pizza stone. But you can remove it and brush off any ash or other residues if needs be.

I noticed that after cooking chicken thighs the area around the opening was splattered with fat, but I just wiped it quickly with kitchen paper before putting it away. Ooni recommends storing your pizza oven away from harsh weather, so keeping it in a garage or shed is a good idea.

You can buy a cover for it for £39.99, which is also handy if you plan on taking it with you on camping trips, but not a necessary accessory if you’re only likely to use it at home.

How does it compare to other pizza ovens?

If 12-inch pizzas don’t sound big enough, there is a 16-inch version of the Koda. But it’s £150 more expensive and if I’m honest I think if you’re a novice, it’ll take a while to master the art of making 12 inch pizzas and the larger 16 inch will be a bit tricky to manage.

Whilst reviewing this model I was also trying out the Ooni Fyra 12 which is the wood fired sibling of the Koda. The Fyra is £50 cheaper than the Koda and slightly larger overall thanks to the chimney and wood hopper. But in terms of speed of heating up and cooking pizzas, the two are very similar. The choice comes down to personal preference and whether you want that true wood fired pizza taste. But if so, the fire requires a bit more attention than the less hassle gas option.

If you can’t decide between gas or wood fired, the Ooni Karu 16 gives you the best of both worlds. This dual fuel model can cook 16-inch pizzas, but at £700 it’s double the cost of the either the Koda or the Fyra so it might be one to consider when it comes time to upgrade. But if you do choose it, you’ll get all of Ooni's top-of-the-range features such as a built-in thermometer and a glass door so you can see what’s going on inside. 

Should you buy the Ooni Koda? 

The Koda is a great pizza oven that will allow you to make authentic pizzas without the hassle of keeping a fire going or the worry of loading it up with wood frequently. I’d say, if you’re a fan of a gas barbecue, you’ll probably prefer the gas fired Ooni too. But if you like cooking on an open flame, over a campfire or you really want to produce food with a wood smoke flavour, you should really be looking at the Ooni Fyra instead.

For consistently great pizza, especially if you live in a built-up area and need to avoid filling your neighbours gardens with wood smoke, the Koda is perfect. But don’t forget to buy all the accessories you’ll need to complete the experience, such as an infrared thermometer and a peel.

About this review, and the reviewer

Thankfully, despite trying out the Ooni in February, Helen fired it up during an unseasonably warm couple of weeks. She used it to make several pizzas as well as plenty of other meals for herself and her husband. And this review feels like it’s just the start of the journey, next she’s planning on perfecting sourdough pizzas, but she’ll probably be using the Ooni Fyra.

If you're after a new pizza oven, you'll want to take a look at today's top Ooni pizza oven deals – as one of the leading pizza oven brands, there's lots to love about Ooni.

In fact, a few of the best pizza ovens on the market are made by Ooni, and at Ideal Home, we love this brand. Whether you're after the Ooni Fyra Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven or the Ooni Volt 12, which we rate as the best indoor pizza oven, there's a model to suit every space and need.

We've rounded up today's top Ooni pizza oven deals to help you grab the best discounts on our tried-and-tested favourites.

Ooni pizza oven deals

Below, we've put together the ultimate guide to shopping Ooni deals, including where to shop and how to find the best discounts.

Today's best Ooni deals

• Amazon: snap up an Ooni pizza oven with next-day delivery
• John Lewis & Partners: Ooni pizza ovens and accessories in-store and online
• Lakeland: the full collection at your fingertips
• Ooni: buy direct and take advantage of discounted bundles

Best Ooni deals

Ooni shopping advice

If you're looking to take advantage of an Ooni deal but not quite sure where to start, we've got you covered. It's often easy to get caught up in pizza oven discounts, and we want to ensure you're buying the right Ooni to suit you.

Below are a few things you should consider before taking the plunge and making the most of an Ooni deal:

The size: Ooni has a wide range of pizza ovens, from smaller options to more robust, family-friendly ovens. This size difference also impacts the price – and the size of the pizza! If you want 40cm pizzas, you should opt for the Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven or the Koda 16 Gas Powered Pizza Oven. If you're happy with 30cm pizzas, the others will suit you just fine.

The type of fuel: Propane gas, wood pellets, electric, and multi-fuel: Ooni offers them all. Ultimately, the type of fuel you choose is something you need to decide on yourself. You can buy the fuel for your pizza oven from Ooni directly, but you may find it cheaper elsewhere – which is why it's always a good idea to weigh up where you can buy it and how much, on average, it'll cost you to refuel. For a more detailed fuel comparison, you can take a look at the Ooni website.

How often you'll use it: Are you hoping to have weekly family pizza nights? Or are you unlikely to use it very often? While Ooni deals can be tempting, there's no point buying the most expensive Ooni on the market if you aren't going to make the most of it. On the other hand, it's usually better to buy top-of-the-range if you plan on using it regularly.

The accessories: As well as selling pizza ovens, Ooni sells a whole host of accessories. To take advantage of Ooni accessories deals, buying them as part of a bundle is best. But if you don't need the accessories, buying the oven by itself might still be cheaper.

Where you're buying from: Generally, the best place to buy an Ooni pizza oven is usually the Ooni site. It's the first place that restocks when Ooni does sell out, and it's got consistent pricing that won't fluctuate with demand (something we've noticed on Amazon from time to time).

Still stuck? Check out our guide on which Ooni pizza oven you should buy.

When to shop

Although you can buy Ooni pizza ovens throughout the year, there's no doubt about the fact that spring and summer is the prime time to buy an Ooni.

Like many other retailers, Ooni also uses key times of the year to plan their promotions. Below, we've explained more about these major dates, and what this means for the best Ooni pizza oven deals.

Boxing Day Ooni deals

After eating more than your bodyweight in food over Christmas, there's a high chance that you're not thinking about pizza on Boxing Day. And while some retailers try to sell last-season stock during this period, you're unlikely to find too many Boxing Day Ooni deals. That doesn't mean that there won't be any, but it might be better to wait until later in the year to scoop up the best discounts.

January Ooni deals

A week after the Boxing Day deals, we're inundated with January sales, but once again, you might not find the Ooni deal you're looking for. January deals are normally focused on electrical items and appliances, or bigger ticket items like mattresses and bedding.

It's still a good idea to watch for any clearance items, though, as some retailers may try to clear out their Ooni stock ready for a brand-new pizza-making season.

Amazon Prime Day Ooni deals

Amazon Prime Day, the brand's yearly price-slashing event, seems to get bigger and bigger each year. This can result in some unmissable Prime Day Ooni pizza oven deals.

In 2024, Prime Day deals ran from the 16th to the 17th of July, just as pizza-loving customers were starting to head out into the garden for al fresco dinners.

However, Amazon then treated us all to a second Prime Day, Prime Big Deal Days, from the 8th to the 9th of October, which was a great time to scoop up some end-of-summer Ooni discounts.

The exact dates for 2025's Prime Day are still to be confirmed, but it's always a good idea to keep an eye on our Amazon Prime Day deals page to be the first to hear when they're announced.

In the meantime, you could sign up for Amazon Prime membership now so you're all set to shop when the next Prime Day Ooni deals take place. Generally, you need to be a Prime member to take advantage of the biggest discounts on Prime Day. You can sign up or renew your membership below. Usually, new Prime members can also access a free 30-day membership trial to test out its perks.

Bank holiday Ooni deals

Over the past few years, bank holiday deals have become a huge part of the consumer discount calendar, with many retailers choosing to slice the prices of their products on these days. This is especially true in July and August when customers typically spend more.

In fact, those who are looking for the best bank holiday Ooni deals should keep an eye out during this time. Ooni regularly slashes the prices of their pizza ovens in August to catch the last of the summer trade.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Ooni deals

The term 'Black Friday' originated in the US to denote the first day following Thanksgiving when retailers would cut prices to draw holidaymakers to shop their store's sales. Driven by global brands, the price-slashing event soon crossed the pond, and now, Black Friday – closely followed by Cyber Monday – has become one of the UK's biggest consumer extravaganzas, rivalling traditional Boxing Day sales.

Often hailed as the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday always falls on the last Friday of November, so the next time it will officially roll around is Friday 28th November 2025.

That said, in recent years, the event has spread to encompass more than just one day, with retailers starting Black Friday discounting earlier and earlier so that a full Black Friday 'week' of discounts isn't uncommon. In fact, in 2022, we saw retailers running Black Friday promotions throughout the whole month of November, and the same happened in 2023 and 2024. Black 'month' now seems to be a thing.

Whether or not you agree with the rampant consumerism Black Friday has now come to represent, there's no denying it can be a great time for Black Friday Ooni deals and Cyber Monday Ooni deals.

In 2024, Black Friday Ooni deals were on fire as people took advantage of the warm weather to have garden parties and cheesy date nights under the stars. In 2025, we expect them to be even bigger and better.

We'll be keeping our eye out for all the top Black Friday Ooni deals and Cyber Monday Ooni deals right here, but make sure to bookmark the Ideal Home Black Friday home deals page to get alerts for all the biggest Black Friday homeware sales as they launch.

How we source the top Ooni deals

To learn more about our in-depth testing and selection process, you can visit our how we test page.

To compile this specific Ooni deals page, we've factored in the team's (delicious) hands-on experience of using Ooni pizza ovens, as well as reviews from our trusted contributors.

If deals aren't currently available on the tried-and-tested favourites that we love so much, then we've used our knowledge and experience to curate a list of the best Ooni deals available today. In all cases, this includes researching technical specifications and reading customer reviews.

FAQs

Does Ooni do Black Friday?

Yes! You can regularly find impressive Ooni deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The retailer even has a dedicated page on its website for Black Friday and Cyber Monday news and deals.

Of course, it's important to remember that you don't necessarily have to grab these Black Friday Ooni deals from Ooni directly. You may find cheaper alternatives from other retailers, like Amazon, John Lewis, or Lakeland.

One of the best pizza ovens will add a new dimension to your cooking at home year-round, but they are not all made equal.

We judge the pizza ovens we test here at Ideal Home against strict criteria. This includes ease of set up and use, fast firing up times, evenness of temperature, consistent cooking performance and straightforward cleaning.

Afterwards, we check how crispy each base is, how well toppings cook and how long the baking process took. If, after that, the oven is good enough to rival your local pizzeria, then it'll make it onto this list.

Quality pizza ovens can range from £150 to £1500+. To help you decide how much cash to splash, we've spelt out the specifications and the accessories you get with each oven, as well as highlighting affordable buys.

Whether you're looking for the best BBQ alternative, an easy-to-use gas model or an oven to give you that authentic wood-fired flavour, we've tested the ovens you need, curated after years of at-home reviews from our in-house experts. This guide will take you through our top 11 ovens, after testing plenty more, and help answer any burning questions you have about the art of pizza making. After reading this list, the only remedy will be a pizza oven for your home and a slice of your chosen pie, pronto!

At a glance

• Best pizza oven overall: Gozney Arc, RRP £599.99
• Best wood-fired: Ooni Fyra 12, RRP £299.99
• Best electric: Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven, RRP £349.99

How we test pizza ovens

We've extensively reviewed every single one of the pizza ovens in this guide, as part of our commitment to how we test products at Ideal Home. And when we say we've tested them, we don't mean we've just tried them out once - we have these ovens at home for a timescale of two weeks to two months before we come to a verdict.

Some of these ovens cook on gas and some on wood, so we make sure to try out both (if possible) to see if there's a cooking mode we would recommend over the other. We also make sure to cook a standardised selection of pizzas, beginning with garlic bread and then ranging from a simple margarita to topping-heavy options, to see how the chosen foods on top of the pizza char up.

From there, we cook other foods in the oven too, including grilled veggies and a cut of meat, usually steak, to see how versatile each product is. Throughout this guide you'll find first hand testimony and imagery of each one.

Best pizza oven overall

The Gozney Arc is our favourite pizza oven ever. This gas oven has everything you need to make restaurant-quality pizza at home, including a wide opening for launching pizzas up to 14" and controls that make firing it up as easy as turning a dial. It combines all of the majesty of its sister oven the Dome (at #8) with the ease of use of the Roccbox (at #4), meeting to serve up the pinnacle of pizza ovens.

During our tests, when we tried everything from a simple margarita to vegetable skewers, we found that the temperature inside the Arc stayed optimally high, meaning that we could serve up pizza after pizza without stopping. The LED temperature gauge makes things more hands-free too, and the overall shape of the Arc makes turning pizzas painless.

We achieved wonderfully crispy bases and melted toppings with the Arc, and fell in love with its overall look, with a buttery beige colour and design-focused look that will set your garden apart from the rest. Not only is this oven worth its salt in terms of performance, but it's a statement piece too. The exterior may be a bit too delicate for those that prefer a rustic look and feel, and the set-up with the Arc isn't as straightforward as with electric alternatives, but those things aside, we think it's as close to perfect as you can get.

Our Gozney Arc review has the full details.

Best wood-fired pizza oven

The Ooni Fyra is a five-star buy for many reasons, the first being that a wood-fired pizza oven is generally going to be the most affordable option in terms of initial outlay. As a rule, wood is a cheaper fuel too – and potentially more environmentally friendly – fuel type when compared to gas.

It managed a flawless performance in testing thanks to its low maintenance set-up and hands-on cooking process, with the flames it creates achieving that authentic, smoky wood-fired flavour (without burning). Helen made margarita pizzas, pepperoni pizzas and a cheesy garlic bread, first of all, each of which emerged with a lovely crisp base. She also found it easy to use the Fyra, once armed with a cast iron pan, to cook lamb, a variety of vegetables, and new potatoes.

The Fyra is more effort than a gas-fired alternative to run, and it will need one person’s (almost) undivided attention for the best results, especially if you want to cook multiple pizzas for a large group when you’ll need to get the oven back up to temperature between bakes. But if you love an involved cooking experience, and posses patience, it'll be a great fit for you.

If you're still undecided on which oven to buy from the brand, we've covered the subject in more depth in our rundown of which Ooni pizza oven to buy.

Our Ooni Fyra 12 Pizza Oven review has the full details.

Best electric pizza oven

Like all of the best Ninja air fryers, the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven is a seriously capable multi-functional buy, and couldn't be more user-friendly. It's electric, so unlike the gas and wood-fired options on this list, all you need to do is plug it in. From there, there's eight different settings you can use at the touch of a button to make pizza, smoke meats, bake, use only the top heat, roast, dehydrate, warm and more.

Our expert reviewer Helen however, says she would buy this Ninja oven 'just for the pizza setting alone', which is high praise from our hard-to-please expert. What's more, Helen was also seriously impressed with the quality, flavour and texture of the pizzas made with this oven. And it wasn't just pizza she tried too, with delectable brownies, wood-fired salmon and an entire roast chicken served up.

Crucially, this oven is made for first-timers, so you won't have to struggle with pizzas that aren't up to scratch on its maiden voyage, so you can start enjoying using this buy from the offset.

Add to that the versatility to roast joints of meat and even bake or smoke foods, and this is an excellent bit of kit with endless cooking possibilities, and a great multi-functional oven if that's what you're looking for.

Our full Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven review has the full details.

Best portable pizza oven

The 12-inch pizza-making Gozney Roccbox comes in two options, the gas-fuelled model, which currently has an RRP of £399, and the multi-fuel option with an RRP of £499. This makes it significantly more expensive than Ooni's comparably sized multi-fuel option, the Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven, with an RRP of £299.

So, what does the Gozney Roccbox have that the Ooni Karu 12 doesn't? Well, first up are its stylish good looks. The Roccbox features a smart stainless steel cylinder chamber wrapped in eye-catching silicone that also helps to make the oven's outer safe to the touch.

Unlike the Ooni Karu 12, it also features an in-built thermometer at the side of the oven that makes keeping track of temperature (and so getting a consistent bake) a far easier affair. It also comes ready-equipped with a pizza peel – an essential tool for turning your pizza to prevent burning. One of our biggest bugbears with the Ooni pizza ovens is that this essential tool must be purchased separately.

Technically, the Gozney Roccbox is also more portable, coming equipped with a strap to help you transport it with ease. With its compact size and easily retractable legs, it might make a good option for the beach as long as you can drive it there, as at 29kg, it's probably a little heavy to carry.

Performance-wise, our reviewer loved the Roccbox and all of its charms, finding the entire pizza-making process straightforward. She also found wood-fired cooking was a lot more high-maintenance than gas, and it took longer to reach optimum temperature. Overall, this meant longer cooking times on both fuel types, but, on the flip side, less risk of burning your Hawaiian or margarita.

Our Gozney Roccbox Dual-Fuel Pizza Oven review has the full details.

Best rotating pizza oven

Once you've tried any pizza oven, you'll know that turning in order to achieve an even cook is essential. And the Witt Rotante takes the guesswork out of that process entirely, with a spinning base that gives full cooking coverage to your pizzas (or whatever else) instantly.

When trying the Rotante, our reviewer found that placing your pizza in the very centre of the oven and base was the best way to achieve the kind of cook you want. We also found that cooking times with this oven are super speedy, taking just one minute (instead of the predicted minute and a half) to cook a pizza to perfection.

Another pull of the Rotante is that it can fire pizzas up to 16", which is plenty big enough to cater to a pizza party. Our reviewer even found that it's a large enough space for two smaller pizzas, if that appeals.

Like with our #1 option, the Gozney Arc, the gas fuel of this oven makes set up feel seamless. And the rotating base means that this is definitely the most hands-free option out there too.

Our full Witt Rotante pizza oven review has the full details.

Best indoor pizza oven

The Ooni Volt is a spectacular innovation for those who live in apartments or flats. All you need to do with this electric oven is plug it in and wait just 20 minutes for it to hit temperatures of 450°C, and in minutes you'll be able to create pizzas as tasty as the ones from your local takeaway.

The Volt makes relying on the weather to turn out perfect pizzas a thing of the past, with the ability to use it inside as well as outside. It's quite a boxy appliance, and not the easiest to store, but it's so easy to use that you soon forget all about that. We did find during testing that you'll want to keep a window open as it operates, as there can be smoke emitted during the process, but once you're tucking into your pizza that will seem a small price to pay.

The heat retention when using the Volt is super impressive, making indoor pizza parties possible even all through the winter. When we tested it, we could make five pizzas without a break. And though the opening is fairly small, it's not overly difficult to launch pizzas into the oven, especially if you're using Ooni's tailor-made peel.

All in all, the Volt far exceeded our expectations of an indoor pizza oven, reaching the same temperatures and yielding the same results when it came to taste. If you want a purchase you'll make use of year-round, look no further than the Volt.

Our Ooni Volt review has the full details.

Best affordable pizza oven

If you're looking for one of the most affordable pizza ovens you can buy, then we think the Woody Pizza Oven is a great balance of price and performance.

This is a 12-inch wood-fired pizza oven first and foremost, but it also offers the flexibility of converting to gas with the addition of a gas burner. We've tried both methods, and loved the results either way. The removable door is a particular highlight, ensuring that heat stays in the oven. Add to that the fire basket and hopper design that makes using wood pellets so simple, and we'd say that this is one of the easiest wood-fired ovens out there.

The affordability of the Woody can't be overlooked - not when you see the lower initial investment cost and the fact that with this oven you get the (essential) pizza peel, an in-built thermometer, and a carry cover included in the price.

In both review settings, we were impressed by the Woody's performance, both in the more labour-intensive wood-fired mode and the comparatively quick and easy gas-fired mode. They also noted the arched roof of the Woody Pizza Oven made cooking a range of dishes in a skiller pan far little easier than with the Ooni Fyra's more shallow opening.

The downsides? It can be tricky to transport, with slightly sharp edges and a tall design.

Our Woody Pizza Oven and Kit review has the full details.

Best multi-fuel pizza oven

The Gozney Dome is the sellout, big spend pizza oven from Gozney, a brand that makes a range of professional ovens, alongside their classic Roccbox, which is one of Ideal Home's favourite picks. The Dome sits somewhere in between, with a modern look that's unlike many of the pizza ovens on the market, and a large enough internal capacity to keep the pizzas flowing all night.

It can make pizzas up to 16" big, and the added extras such as a steam injector or oven door to offer more cooking options made such a big difference to the pizzas our reviewer produced. We loved using this oven to cook extea large pizzas, lamb steaks and roasted vegetables such as sweetcorn. One of the things that really stood out with the Dome was the included temperature probes, which our tester used to ensure that joints of meats she cooked were perfectly done. The large air vent also allowed her to use the Dome like an outdoor oven, and create foods with succulent flavours.

It's a pricey buy indeed, but if you're looking for an upgrade on your existing oven and you love making pizzas, the Gozney Dome is the oven you'll want.

Our Gozney Dome outdoor oven review has the full details.

Best countertop pizza oven

The Sage Smart Oven Pizzaiolo is a seriously smart indoor pizza oven. It can heat up to 400 degrees and cook authentic Neopolitan-style pizzas as well as deep dish and even frozen pizzas. Unlike the Volt, it's the kind of size that will fit on your countertop, so if you want a smaller indoor oven, it'll be just the ticket.

When we put this pizza oven to the test we were seriously impressed by how fast it cooked our pizzas, as well as the evenness of the cooking. The feature that detects ambient temperature and advises you to wait before placing in your next pizza is very smart, and our reviewer found that the overall cook on each pizza she cooked was great as a result, whether a thin or a thick base.

The immediate advantage of the indoor nature of this oven is that you can enjoy freshly cooked pizza all year round, and no weather can rain on your pizza party. As with the Ooni Volt, this oven does suffer with some smoke issues, but opening a window will go a long way. This oven also comes with a pizza peel, stone, and deep dish included, which earned another tick from us.

The obvious downside of the Sage Smart Oven Pizzaiolo is the high price, but when you consider that it plugs right in, comes with a pizza peel, and doesn't need a thermometer to tell if it's hot enough to cook your pizza perfectly, it's an unmissable option. If you want the best pizza oven to take the stress out of judging the heat and timing of your cooking, this five-star option is the one for you.

Our Sage Smart Oven Pizzaiolo review has the full details.

Best rustic pizza oven

Handmade in Yorkshire, we think the rustic look of the Delivita makes it one of the most beautiful ovens out there. Interestingly, it works pretty differently compared to other wood-fired options on this list. During testing, we made a Jenga-style tower of wood inside the oven and lit it, before leaving it for about half an hour to come to the desired temperature of 450°C. This takes things really back to basics, and allows you to get that authentic pizza making experience from your back garden.

This clay oven (again, fairly different from other options on this list) comes in a gorgeous range of colours and can make 12-inch pizzas in just a minute. Its exterior is waterproof and it also comes with a cover, meaning you can leave it outside after use if you wish. It is a little on the heavy side at 30kg, so not the best for carrinng around, but there's no denying the authentic feel of that crackling wood and our finished pizza was restaurant-quality.

The domed design and wide opening allowed our reviewer to experiment with a range of different foods, from corn on the cob to doughballs. And with the fire burning within the Delivita itself, everything was served up with that delicious wood-fired flavour that we all know and love. For a truly hands on pizza making experience, the Delivita is a showstopping buy.

Our Delivita pizza oven review has the full details.

Best small pizza oven

The Ooni Koda is a gas-fired pizza oven available in either 12-inch or 16-inch sizes, so there's an option for those with more space and one for a more portable option. The legs fold away for easy storage and there's no funnel feature, so you can pack it away into your car boot with ease. Our reviewer Helen found this oven got up to heat very quickly, with the controls being as simple as the turn of a knob. Within as little as 15 minutes, she could start cooking.

From there, Helen found in her tests it really couldn't be easier to speedily serve up pizzas, meaning that your next garden party undoubtedly be your best yet. Despite the lack of wood-fired flavour, this gas oven was a powerhouse for cooking up crisp, perfectly done pizzas in about two minutes.

Helen also tried her hand at a range of other foods in the Koda, finding fajita mix, chicken, and assorted greens came out perfectly when cooked in a cast iron skillet in the oven.

The Koda is a star buy for those who want to create authentic pizzas without the faff of keeping a fire going, as you would need to in the Fyra. If you love the ease of gas BBQs, the convenience of the Ooni Koda will probably be right up your street.

Our Ooni Koda pizza oven review has the full details.

More on our testing process

It's not just the quality of the pizzas that we make that we're judging, though that is a major factor, it's a whole series of smaller things being evaluated the entire time.

Alongside that we focus in on how long the oven takes to set up, how much faff it is to fire up (either with gas or wood), and how easy it is to launch a pizza into the oven. This can vary from product to product depending on designs, as well as how portable each oven is.

When testing the ovens, we also make sure to fire off a fair few pizzas in quick sucession, so that we can judge whether it's a pizza party appropriate product that allows you to chain cook margarita after margarita. When the process is done we also look at how easy each oven is to maintain, as well as any quirks when it comes to cleaning and storage.

FAQs

How to choose a pizza oven

Check the weight of your pizza oven. Pizza ovens – particularly clay or brick ovens – can be VERY heavy and tricky to manoeuvre without equipment or a team of helpers. It’s always worth looking at the weight before you order, and checking that if it is a beast, the supplier will move it into position for you. Alternatively, pick a design on wheels that you can move around the garden.

Know your fuels

Pizza is traditionally cooked in a wood-fired oven for that signature smoky flavour. However, some pizza ovens have gas burners that will get your oven cavity up to temperature much quicker. Charcoal and pellet burners are other options.

The temperature of your oven will peak somewhere between 400 and 500 degrees C, and the better your oven maintains its temperature, the more pizzas you can produce from one ‘firing’.

Note the cooking times

A small oven will take anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes to heat (around 10 if you’re using gas, and closer to 20 if you’re opting for pellets or charcoal. Larger ovens can take anything up to an hour. Your typical pizza will take around six minutes to cook, though remember to turn it for an even bake.

The smallest gas-powered ovens, however, can do the job in as little as 60 seconds. Every oven is different, but it won’t take long to ‘learn’ its optimal cooking time.

Treasure those little extras

A temperature gauge is handy, as you’ll always know when you’re ready to cook. A few ovens come with a pizza paddle designed to fit the cavity perfectly, though this is the exception rather than the rule.

Look out for models with griddles, as then you’ll be able to use your oven as a barbecue and not have to own two separate outdoor cookers.

Get an authentic base

For a 10-inch pizza with an authentic thin base, roll out a piece of dough just larger than a golf ball, certainly no bigger. Also, don’t go too crazy with your toppings – overloading can cause your pizza not to cook properly.

Which accessories do I need with my pizza oven?

A pizza oven might not be the only thing you need to buy if you're creating an outdoor cooking zone from scratch. Marco Biasetti, Pizza Chef at DeliVita, details the other accessories you'll want to help you make fantastic pizzas at home.

'A high-quality peel is essential for getting the best results from your pizza oven. It helps slide your pizzas in and out smoothly, prevents burnt fingertips and keeps the cooking process stress-free,' says Marco.

'Look for one with a slim, tapered edge to easily lift and launch your pizza, and a long handle to keep your hands away from the heat. A light dusting of semolina or flour on your peel also makes all the difference, it creates just enough friction to stop your dough from sticking, helping you achieve that perfect base without tearing or burning it.'

Aldi's gas pizza ovens are back in stock, which means that warmer weather is on its way (we promise). If you're looking for the best pizza ovens for homemade Margheritas with friends and family this spring, strike while the, er, oven's hot on this one.

Aldi's gas pizza oven is currently available to buy online for under £200, joining Aldi's two other pizza oven offerings The Fire King Large Pizza oven and BBQ pizza oven. Built upon a platform with easy glide wheels the Gardenline Gas Pizza Oven is a great addition to any outdoor kitchen ideas.

Aldi gas pizza oven

An Aldi fan favourite it has racked up a review rating of 4 out of 5 stars on the website with shoppers commenting that 'it's worth every penny of that and more!' Plus with time ticking on how long Aldi specialbuys will be available for home delivery now could be one of the last opportunities to snag one easily for your garden.

As with all Specialbuys, once the Aldi pizza oven is gone, it’s gone. So if you don't want to be left cheesed off by missing out on these great savings again, get online and order yours pronto.

The original Woody Portable Pizza Oven was released in 2021, when the pandemic forced a spike in at-home cooking like never seen before. The Woody, like so many of the best pizza ovens during the pandemic, was a sell-out success.

We reviewed the first iteration of the Woody in the summer of 2022 to see how it stacked up, awarding it 4 stars and commending its performance and excellent value for money. For 2023, Woody has made a range of improvements to the oven, perfecting the overall finish and tweaking smaller details, like the fit of the exterior door. This version of the Woody is now offered with an optional gas conversion kit, better insulation and a flush-fit pizza stone.

The Woody was a solid pizza oven to begin with - portable, with a short set up and heat up time, and with an array of accessories that mean you can actually get started straight away. The improvements mean that it performed even better in our tests the second time around, with higher quality in the build parts than before. 

As before, all you need to succeed with this oven is an outdoor space and a heatproof surface to set it down on, and a good pizza dough recipe. Everything contained in the Woody Kit can help with the rest, as we discovered when we took it for a spin for the second time.

Woody Pizza Oven Kit specs

• Type: multi-fuel (gas or wood)
• Pizza size: 12in/30cm
• Cooking surface: cordierite stone baking board
• Size: H:50cm, W:41cm, D:54cm
• Weight: 12.5kg
• Temperature: 450–500ºC/842–932ºF
• Cooking time: 60 seconds

Who tested this pizza oven?

Unboxing, first impressions & set up

The Woody Pizza Oven Kit is extensive, coming with everything you need (save for the ingredients) to make pizzas as good as the ones from your favourite Italian restaurant. 

If you need them to light up, a 5kg bag of pellets can be bought from Woody for £16.99. These are made from virgin British wood, sustainably sourced and made from waste wood sources as a by-product of manufacturing. They aren't treated with any chemicals so you will get that clean wood-fired taste.

The Woody pizza oven kit includes:

1. Powder coated oven body (with ceramic fibre insulation)
2. Door with handle, peep hole and built-in thermometer
3. Pizza stone made from cordierite
4. Pellet box with burner grate to collect ashes
5. Detachable chimney and vent with detachable chimney cap
6. Charging hopper
7. Pizza peel
8. Carry bag with chimney bag
9. Tools for building the Woody Pizza Oven

To turn this into a multi-fuel oven, you can also add the gas attachment when you purchase your Woody online. This will set you back an additional £70, but this cost is likely worth it if you're planning on using your oven to cook for a crowd as using gas means you can get your oven up to temperature and keep it there with more ease.

Setting up the Woody is mostly straightforward as the main body is assembled and has the legs attached, meaning you just need to flip them out to get the oven standing up. 

Next, you have to secure the hopper which is easily done with some small bolts and an Allen key (all included). The chimney slots into place, so no construction needed here and you only need to install the cap when out of use. Then you need to attach the handle and thermometer to the removable door, and build the pellet box and burner grate. Even a DIY novice can do this all in around 20 minutes by following the instructions that you receive once you've scanned the QR code. With the pizza stone in place, you're ready to go. 

I would've preferred a paper set of instructions to follow in the assembly process as I was setting up outside in the sun, and glare wasn't always in my favour but I realise that the virtual version is much more environmentally friendly. The accompanying video on the Woody website is also really handy when it comes to setting up. 

What is the Woody Pizza Oven like to use?

During the first round of testing in 2022, our Ecommerce Director Lindsey tried the Woody Oven. This time, both Lindsey and I tried the new and improved Woody out separately, meaning that while Lindsey recalibrated her thoughts, I was trying this oven for the first time. 

During my tests, I set up a two-man pizza-making operation with my sister. While I lit the oven she prepped the dough, using the skills we'd picked up from testing the Gozney Roccbox earlier in the year. 

Cooking pizza with wood pellets 

First I tried the oven using the traditional method, so that I'd get that wood-fired flavour. The instructions to do so were as follows:

1. Make sure the door is on.
2. Fill the grate with pellets and a natural firelighter
3. Light the firelighter and slide the fire box into the oven
4. Make sure the pellets are fully alight before feeding with more pellets via the hopper (John and James recommend a mug of pellets at a time)
5. Maintain pellet level to bring the oven to approx 450ºC/850ºF
6. You are ready to cook!

Following the instructions and using a natural firelighter, we were in action within minutes, and I watched the progress carefully, feeding in more pellets to keep the temperature building.  

How to maintain temperature

Once your fire is lit you have to get it up to temperature and then keep it there for the duration of cooking. To do this, the instructions recommend refuelling when the 'pellets have burnt to embers, but before all visible flames have disappeared'. Doing this means you don't overload the grate which causes lots of smoke, but also means you have a few flames to help the next batch of pellets catch. Once the pizza oven reaches the desired temperature, it is a good idea to add a small cup of pellets, and let these burn a bit before putting food in.

The oven's chimney has a vent with a lever on the outside to adjust it. You can use this to help manage the draw on the chimney and control the burn. This does take some getting used to and can be hard to maintain over extended cooking periods, but after a couple of uses you will soon learn how often to feed the flame, and how to control the draw to get the best results. It is also worth noting that if there is a bit of a breeze, the way you place the oven can affect how the flame reacts. So try to pick a sheltered (yet well ventilated) spot, so you aren't playing with the elements too much.

During testing initially, Lindsey loved the built-in thermometer on the oven door, which is fantastic for knowing when to remove the door and insert the pizza. The addition of the door is also one of the best things about the Woody in my opinion, as it allows the heat to build up so much faster, even if there is a bit of a breeze. Woody also sent me their infrared temperature gun, which I had a lot of fun with. It's so handy for checking that the stone is the right temperature, so that a crispy base is achieved every time.

Using gas to make pizza 

With gas as your fuel, using the Woody pizza oven really could not be easier. I hooked up the gas just like I would with a BBQ, and thanks to the door that you can slot on, getting the stone up to temperature was over in a flash. 

It's not such a gradual process as it is with the wood pellets, meaning that I did burn one of the sides of my pizza when cooking with gas, which I managed to avoid with the wood pellets. I think this is just a case of getting the knack and if you're catering to lots of people and need to keep your oven at a high temperature, investing in the gas attachment will be well worth it for you.

Making pizza with the Woody 

I've edited my fair share of pizza oven reviews this summer and tried one myself, so by this point I knew that semolina was an essential for using a pizza oven. Rather than using flour to ready surfaces I used semolina and it made transporting and removing the pizzas in the Woody so much easier. Don't skimp on it with your own pizza making!

Once my pizzas were ready and my oven was at 450ºC/850ºF, I opened the door and slid the first one in. Like Lindsey did the year before, I then left the pizza for about 40 seconds before checking on the progress through the very handy peep hole on the door. I then used the peel that comes with the oven to do a turn and left the pizza for 40 more seconds before removing. 

It might sound complicated but once you've got it sussed, you'll be able to assemble a line of pizzas and serve them up. 

When Lindsey tested the original oven she found that it was a little labour-intensive cooking for a group of six when cooking with wood, as she fought to keep the temperature up. This problem is pretty much eradicated with the gas attachment, which means that you can keep the oven burning while you cater to a group. It's the sort of versatility that's worth £70 if you love entertaining.

In her review, Lindsey also felt that heat retention could be improved to reduce heat loss, including with a few tweaks to the design of the door. I felt this was very much achieved with this new iteration, and I had no trouble using the Woody for a long period of time to cook up all sorts of BBQ food too. 

What else can you cook in the Woody pizza oven?

The Woody Pizza Oven can also be used for steak, cooked veggies and bread. In fact, you can cook almost anything in it as long as you use an oven proof dish or tray for wet ingredients. This is because cooking liquids directly on the pizza stone, could cause damage and the residues are very hard to clean off.

Lindsey used her Woody to cook a very quick aubergine parmigiana, as well as a delightful potato recipe in a cast iron dish. I tried a range of foods in my Woody including vegetable skewers, corn on the cob, chicken skewers and breasts. Small cuts of meat are best in pizza ovens, and everything I tried came out gloriously. 

In conclusion, it might not be a complete replacement for the best BBQ if you are a big fan of a summer barbie, but it certainly has enough versatility that those who prefer pizza will want to buy this first to serve both purposes.

Portability

The Woody packs away into a strong carry bag with buckled straps. This can also be used to cover the Woody Pizza Oven if left outside in dry spells, though you do need to remove the door handle, or turn the door inside out to get it in the bag properly. The chimney also needs removing and this comes with its own carry bag that attaches to the top of the carrier with velcro.

I am quite short, but manage to carry it short distances fairly easily. It weighs 13 kilograms which is not too heavy, but because of the size I can't see myself carrying it anywhere other than to and from the car. Which really should be all you need.

Do take note that it takes a while to cool down, so you will need to wait before you can pack it away to take home.

Cleaning

Cleaning the Woody Pizza Oven is very easy. Pyrolytic cleaning comes into play. Just like some of the latest ovens, you simply have to run the oven at top temperatures for 30 minutes to burn off excess food. Do this at the end of each cook and you won't have to do more than give it a quick dust with dry paper towels once cooled.

You can hand wash the pizza stone too if preferred. If you do, you must use nothing but warm water, then dry it in a conventional oven at a very low temperature for at least two hours. The stones are slightly absorbent which is how they create such a crispy base, drawing water from the dough as the pizza cooks. This means that if the stone is not fully dry before cooking, you could damage it, or find the temperature is compromised.

The rest of the oven can be cleaned with a damp cloth as needed and any soot and smoke wiped away with dry kitchen roll. Note that the stainless steel parts of the oven do change colour after use – a reaction with the heat that creates an interesting patina that I think adds to the industrial look of the pizza oven.

Is the Woody Pizza Oven worth the money?

Just like Lindsey last year, I would highly recommend this pizza oven to those looking to create an outdoor kitchen on a budget. It heats up quickly so once you get the hang of maintaining the fire, you will get plenty of bang for your buck out of this pizza oven kit. And even if the British weather isn't conducive to pizza every night in summer, the kit is so affordable you will soon be saving big compared to spending at least £10 a pizza at a certain well-known pizza chain. We think the pizza we made in our Woody was much much tastier, too.

We also love that you get the cover and peel thrown in, making it much cheaper than the closest competitor, the Ooni Fyra – the other 12 inch portable wood-fired pizza oven that our team has tested. Granted, it is not a sleek in the looks department and is slightly heavier and bigger than the Ooni Fyra, but for the saving – and the benefit of an integrated thermometer – we will happily take the Woody's rustic charm.

It's also a fantastic option if you want an affordable multi-fuel model. I've tested the Gozney Roccbox, which is incredible, but at £499.99 for both burners, it is way steeper than the Woody.

The verdict: should you buy a Woody Pizza Oven?

If you love the process and theatre of making pizza and have enough outdoor (and indoor storage) space, then you should buy a Woody Pizza Oven. The modifications that have been made in this updated version make this oven even better than it was before, and considering that it was already our favourite budget option, that's saying a lot. 

The Woody really does tick all of the boxes with the multi-fuel capability, high-quality build and value for money, with the pizza peel and cover thrown in for the neat price of £249.99. So if all of that sounds good to you, then the Woody Pizza Oven Kit is the perfect offering and low commitment, price-wise.

Lidl's fan-favourite barbecue pizza oven is back in-store for £39.99 – it's just in time to get your garden Coronation Weekend ready.

If you've been on the lookout for the best pizza oven on a budget to up your pizza game as the weather warms up, the budget store has got you covered. Landing in stores just last week, Lidl's Grillmeister Barbecue Pizza Oven sits on top of any of your best BBQs and serves up perfect pizzas every time.

Lidl barbecue pizza oven

Ideal for pizza pros and first-timers alike, the easy-to-use Grillmeister Barbecue Pizza Oven, priced at an affordable £39.99, claims to create pizza perfection every time.

Sitting perfectly on top on top of gas and charcoal barbecues and coming stocked with a thermometer for easy temperature control and a removable pizza stone made from cordierite, there's little room for error.

Even better yet, it doesn't stop at just pizzas. The nifty outdoor accessory can also be used to crisp up fresh baguettes and other surprising things you can cook in a pizza oven.

The budget garden item is ideal for food lovers wanting to whip up their own homemade Margheritas without splashing the cash. It's also a great alternative if you missed out on nabbing Aldi's BBQ pizza oven earlier this year, which is now sold out everywhere.

A pizza oven is a brilliant accessory to any outdoor kitchen idea to even a family garden idea, allowing you to transform your space into a multi-functional outdoor living area.

If you like the idea of pretending you run your own pizzeria with one of these, we recommend acting fast. We predict that this will sell out soon if previous years are anything to go by. Especially as more of us choose to hang out at home with friends and achieve restaurant-ready pizza at a fraction of the cost.

If you're planning on nabbing one for the spring and summer, it also pays to be clued up on how to get the most out of your pizza oven, so you can get the most bang for your buck – regardless of where your pizza oven sits on the price ladder.

As always, we'll see you in the middle of Lidl ahead of fleshing out our garden party ideas for Coronation Weekend.

Will you be grabbing a slice of the action?