People have been eating pizza, in one form or another, for centuries. As far back as the 10^th century there is mention of pieces of flatbread, topped with savouries, being served as a simple and tasty meal for those who could either not afford plates or who needed a more portable meal.

It was in the late 18^th century in Naples that pizza as we know it came into being. The growing population and the increased levels of poverty led to a need for nourishing food that could be made cheaply, and pizza fit the bill perfectly.

National Pizza Day is a celebration of this humble Italian creation that has evolved from a staple for the poor into the world’s favourite takeaway food.

We celebrated the day by making our own pizzas, and it was an awful lot of fun. We were given a vast selection of toppings to choose from, meats and vegetables, tomato sauce and a couple of different cheeses. It was amusing to watch the different approaches to this task, there were those of us that wanted to create a symmetrical pizza, a pizza of beauty and there were others who were determined to add every topping available.

Once we had finished our creations, the chef took them away and baked them and served them up for tea. They were delicious and we all felt immensely proud of ourselves. It is lovely to have our meals prepared for us, but it is nice to be able to prepare the odd meal ourselves especially as we don’t have to do the washing up.