Pizza Express just added a vegan calzone to its menu. The chain is one of many pizza shops in the UK introducing vegan pizza and other plant-based options to cater to demand.
The Italian restaurant chain just announced the launch of its 2019 autumn menu.
The Calzone Verdure is one of the new additions. The vegan dish is stuffed with roasted peppers, courgette, aubergine, spinach, smoky tomato harissa, hot chilli, tomato, and garlic. The calzone is topped with rosemary and served alongside a salad with balsamic dressing.
Pizza Express also launched a Creamy Baked Garlic Mushroom, a whole Portobello mushroom stuffed with garlic and dairy-free mozzarella. The vegan starter also features rosemary, smoky tomato harissa, rocket, pine kernels, and balsamic dressing.
Vegan Options at Pizza Express
Pizza Express, which has 470 restaurants across the UK, first added vegan cheese to its menu in 2017.
For its 2018 autumn menu, the Italian restaurant chain launched the Puttanesca, a vegan pizza topped with pulled jackfruit and a tomato sauce of olives and capers. The Peporanata — a penne tossed in a tomato passata with mixed peppers — also joined the menu, along with a vegan carrot cake dessert.
Timothy Love, Senior Marketing Manager at Pizza Express, pointed out in a statement at the time that nearly one-third of all evening meals eaten in the UK are vegetarian or vegan. “We’ve led the restaurant market, developing a full range of vegan and vegetarian offerings with over 20 toppings to choose from, plus we were early to introduce gluten-free dishes. This innovation is set to continue and we’re delighted to see such positive response to our menu,” he added.
Vegan Pizza on the Rise
Pizza Express isn’t alone in its efforts. UK-based pizza chain Papa John’s launched a vegan menu at all of its 350 locations earlier this year. Three new pizzas joined the menu, as did a vegan version of Papa Johns’ popular Marmite and Cheese Scrolls.
Two months later, the fast-food chain added another two vegan sides to its menu: Cheesy Vegan Potato Wedges and Jalapeno Cheesy Potato Wedges.
UK locations of Pizza Hut offer dairy-free cheese and added a vegan jackfruit pizza to its menu in January. The pizza was launched for a limited time as a trial but after diners bought 10,000 pizzas in the first month of launching, the vegan “Jack ‘n’ Ch**se” was added as a permanent menu item. In February, the fast-food giant introduced a three-course vegan menu, featuring four new pizza options, an appetizer, and a dessert.
