Weighing just 30kg, the DeliVita Pizza Oven is handmade in Yorkshire and cooks authentic wood-fired pizzas that are ready to tuck into in around 90 seconds. And of all the outdoor pizza oven, this one in particular makes for a stylish, high-end choice.
Owner and founder of DeliVita, Joe Formisano, says, “I created DeliVita out of frustration that I couldn’t find an outdoor wood-fired oven that didn’t take hours to heat up and wasn’t so heavy it couldn’t be moved or wasted fuel.
"I wanted the oven to be efficient and eco-friendly, plus it had to look good. It also has to be part of the social occasion so people can sit around while you cook. It needed to be portable and sit on a table top without burning."
It certainly looks like it's built to last and would make a wonderful addition to an outdoor kitchen. We tested out the DeliVita pizza oven to find out if its robust build and stylish design are matched by performance and usability.
DeliVita Pizza Oven overview
John Lewis/DeliVitawww.johnlewis.com
Pros
- Available in a range of stylish colours
- Easy to maintain
- Produces delicious wood-fired pizzas and more
Cons
- Takes a little bit of trial and error to get used to cooking in it
Testing the DeliVita Pizza Oven
Upon receiving it, unpacking the DeliVita pizza oven was quick and easy. Before I got started, I had a call with Marco, brand ambassador for DeliVita. He talked us through exactly what I needed to do, offering lots of helpful hints and tips.
As well as being incredibly lovely, Marco's role is to support customers and educate them about the DeliVita ovens. All customers receive a call to talk them through how to cure, light and maintain their new oven. There is also access to lots of online tutorials and additional support if required.
Having this one-to-one was incredibly helpful and I really got a sense of how important the customer journey is for the brand.
Performance
Getting started was easy; just pop a firelighter in the centre at the back of the oven and place a tower of kindling around it before lighting the firelighter. The oven reaches a temperature of around 500°C in just 25 minutes. I was impressed that it remained safe to touch on the outside despite this.
While you can make your own pizza dough, you can also buy dough directly from DeliVita. It keeps frozen until you need it. As well as the traditional dough balls, there are loads of options, including gluten-free bases and even charcoal-activated dough.
After proofing the dough, I stretched it out, spread over the tomato pizza sauce and added our toppings. To be honest, the hardest part of using the pizza oven was actually getting the pizza from our kitchen surface onto the pizza peel and then into the oven. It requires a lot of shuffling, but the trick, I found, is semolina which makes a real difference.
The excitement of waiting for your pizza to cook never gets old because it cooks so quickly. You need to be on standby, ready to turn it, and then remove it from the oven.
Results
I'd be lying if I said our pizzas were perfect straight away because they weren't. But I found this was more a case of being overexcited and the oven not being hot enough or just stretching the dough too thin. But we quickly learnt the do's and don'ts - after all, practice makes perfect.
It's worth remembering that however good a pizza oven may be, there are other variables such as temperature and pizza dough that can impact the finished result. It did take me a couple of pizzas to get to a point of feeling confident. But soon I was producing delicious 12″ wood-fired pizzas that would easily be a match for a Domino's pizza.
Although I only used it for cooking pizza, you can also use it to cook meat, fish, veggies and even bread. You can find similar inspiration in our guide to the best BBQ food.
When you're all finished, simply wipe the outside with a damp cloth and brush the inside with the oven brush. Thanks to the polished fibreglass shell, I could leave the pizza oven outside in all weathers. Although, we did use an all-weather cover just in case.
What are the pros?
It's a really nice touch that the DeliVita oven is available in seven gorgeous colourways. My favourite is the Berry Hot which adds a nice splash of colour to your garden.
Although it can take a little getting used to if you've not cooked by wood-burning before, it's seriously easy to use. Just be sure to keep an eye on it. I couldn't fault cooked pizzas – they were absolutely delicious. I'm confident the craftsmanship of the DeliVita had a big hand in that.
While there's now the multi-fuel Gozney Dome pizza oven that can cook with wood, it's a more expensive option. Also, it doesn't quite have the personal touch that Joe's passion brings to the brand.
Aside from pizza, the oven is spacious enough for a roasting tray, so you could cook a leg of lamb, a whole chicken or a vegetable medley. This might make the cost feel a bit more justifiable.
Its heatproof handles and oven base mean it can be positioned anywhere outdoors that is sturdy enough to safely bear the oven's weight.
It's so easy to maintain compared to cleaning a barbecue. With the DeliVita, most of the ash is taken care of by the fire; you might just need to sweep the rest out with the metal wire brush.
What are the cons?
It's likely that you'll need to pick up accessories. The DeliVita Pizza Peel at £64.50, and the branded pizza cutter is £40+. It really can add up, so it potentially pays to shop around for cheaper BBQ tools. I would have liked to have seen at least a pizza peel included. I also think a built-in temperature gauge would have been useful.
Although DeliVita says the oven is portable, you'll still need two people to stick it in the car, and I'm not sure you'd bother but it's nice to have the option.
Is it worth the money?
There's no doubt that the DeliVita pizza oven will last for years. It's built to do so and will take everything you throw at it so in that sense – absolutely.
I see it as one of those buys that, in a decade's time, you'll be announcing, "Oh, that old thing? Got it back in 2024, and it's still as good as the day we bought it!"
Final verdict: Is the DeliVita Pizza Oven worth it?
I would absolutely recommend the DeliVita Pizza Oven; it's a beautiful, well-crafted piece of kit that looks great in our garden and has made us very popular with friends and family. If you're tired of your BBQ, this is a novel and different way to cook outdoors.
We threw a couple of pizza parties over the summer. Guests were invited to make their own pizzas before sliding it into the oven and watching it cook. This was a brilliant way of getting together with friends and family where everyone could get stuck in. And it certainly worked out cheaper too.
That said, I do think that you need to be serious about your pizza-making to invest in this particular brand of pizza oven. But if you do, you won't regret it. Even after months of using the DeliVita pizza oven, we were still excited to get to use it when the sun was shining.
FAQs: DeliVita Pizza Oven
Why choose a DeliVita pizza oven?
DeliVita pizza ovens are handmade in Yorkshire. They use the best materials and craftspeople in order to bring authentic Italian-style pizza to your very own garden. Their range of artisanal ovens combines modern design with authentic wood-fired cooking. So, if you're a passionate foodie, who loves to cook outdoors, DeliVita is a top brand to consider. The DeliVita website has extensive guides on how to use your oven, plus delicious pizza oven recipes.
Where can I buy a DeliVita pizza oven and accessories?
DeliVita pizza ovens and accessories are available from the DeliVita website, John Lewis and Selfridges online.
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As Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby and Yours, Emily Gilbert has a keen eye for the best products to enhance any size garden, whether that’s squashy outdoor sofas to snuggle into for stargazing or pizza ovens for delicious dinners.