Jamie's Pizzeria - George Street, Oxford

In the name of research, I have been back to Jamie’s Pizzeria more times than I’d care to mention. I’d like to say my frequent visits are down to the fact that having made pizzas with Gennaro Contaldo himself when it opened, I needed to be sure the new restaurant could stand on its own two feet. That once the pizza god himself had packed his bags and headed off to the next opening, his legacy stood up. That dazzling me by churning out dustbin-lid shaped pizzas faster than Jessica Ennis-Hill in a discus shop, wasn’t enough.

But to be honest, once I’d ventured back to test out my theory, I was hooked, and from then on bamboozled anyone I could find to accompany me back to the strange, dark basement at the bottom of Jamie’s Italian to eat some of the finest pizzas in town.

What’s so good about them? Shovelled out of the oven baking hot, with fresh parmesan grated on top, melting as they reach you, the dough is chewy, crusty, crunchy, crispy, with those little burnt bits where it gets too close to the top of the oven, oily and marvellous. Served with steak knives, they take some sawing.

Left to rise overnight, a minimum of six hours (anything less and its not proven apparently) the sauce is rich, richer than usual, with a Westcombe cheddar mix added to the fresh and grated mozzarella, a practice that has divided its audience, an Italian friend taking great offence, a bastardisation of a classic. But it gave the pizzas a greater depth of flavour in my humble Anglo-Saxon opinion. The Jamie twist, as usual, works, irritating as that may be.

The toppings however are the main draw, an enticing selection that mixes the old with the new and keeps things ‘simples’ as Gennaro would say, with just five pizzas on the board (margherita, funghi, Oxford hot, white rocket and fiorentina) and all for under £10.

My favourites? The Oxford hot (fennel salami, Napoli forte salami, fresh chillies and oregano), whose ingredients really speak for themselves, the white rocket, whose luxurious toppings are subtle, juicy, piquant and fragrant, working beautifully together and, of course, the margherita.

And every time one is placed in front of you, I let out a little sigh of appreciation, because although mis-shapen and at odds with the perfect circle of their chain rivals, their character shines out with a real Italian flourish.

The blackboard also boasts a few starters, desserts and cocktails, some sides, but the pizzas are the stars of the show. I eat mine accompanied by the large Bibb salad (£6), which comes with thinly sliced radishes, dressing, avocado and big crunchy lettuce leaves, and the kids always have ice cream afterwards (salted caramel, honeycombe and mango).

You can’t order off the Jamie’s Italian menu if you don’t fancy pizza, but there is always one pasta option available as a special, from lasagna to Melanzane parmigiana.

Which is why, with so much going for it, I’m surprised Jamie’s Pizzeria is treated like the poor relative, the Mrs Rochester of the Italian food world, the dirty secret of Oxford’s food scene.

Because even though it’s a stand alone in it’s own right, with its own staff, it’s only open in the evenings during the week, all day at weekends, and many of you will have walked right past and not even noticed it was there.

Hidden around the side, next to where Annabelina’s used to be, there is a discreet board and a pink door, but that’s it. Venture in and you’re led downstairs past a strange curtain hiding Jamie’s Italian’s diners and down to an artfully decorated but windowless room, complete with an open pizza kitchen where you can watch the fun going on.

Introduced to cater for the despondent diners who arrived at Jamie’s Italian under the impression that it serves pizza, it still feels like a bit of an after thought, which makes me an unlikely defender of Jamie’s Pizzeria, but I’d recommend this George Street option any day of the week, regardless of its slightly claustrophobic nature.

Jamie’s Pizzeria
24-26 George Street, Oxford
01865 838383 jamieoliver.com.com

* Opening times: Monday to Thursday, 5pm-11pm; Friday and Saturday, 12noon-10pm; Sunday 12noon-8pm
* Parking: Central Oxford, so none
* Key personnel: Obviously Jamie Oliver and Gennaro Contaldo are behind it but the general manager is Becky Wallis
* Make sure you try... any (and in fact, all) of the limited menu of five pizzas. Take your pick!
* In ten words: A real contender on Oxford’s pizza scene. One to try.