You may have heard that there’s been something of a heatwave hitting the UK. It’s also boiling hot in the Czech Republic, you just don’t hear us moaning about it all the time. Nor does it cause public transport to grind to a halt (my favourite thing about living abroad is seeing how it really is only the UK that comes to a standstill on account of any variations in weather – whether it’s 38C or -17C, trains still run in Prague!).

There was a minor heatwave when I was in the UK at the start of July – it was about 28 degrees most days. And alas, we’re just not a country designed for those toasty temperatures. This was best evidenced when we went to Picky Wops for pizza and found ourselves basically sitting in a sauna.

Yet as sweaty as it was, I’d say it was worth it! All-vegan pizzerias are still a bit of a rarity, and I’m always keen to lend them my support. And Picky Wops had quite the exciting menu. There were five or six choices of base, each using a different type of fancy flour -no 00 flour here, thank you very much! Then there were the various toppings, some vegetable based, others mock meaty. But the decisions aren’t over with then – you’ve also got three choices of mozzarella (coconut, cashew, or mozzarisella), and the issue of whether or not to go for  the stuffed crust option with almond ricotta. In short, there are lots of decisions to make.

I really relished the opportunity to basically customise my own pizza. I went for the “burnt” base (fear not, it doesn’t taste burnt) and the lumberjack topping: coconut mozzarella, sausage, mushrooms, and smoky cheese. The smoky cheese was the key ingredient here – it really elevated the pizza. I don’t think I’ve every seen smoky cheese on a pizza menu before, but I’ll certainly be looking out for it from now on.

After last week’s shocking Dr HH reveal, you might be worrying about what he did when he had all these options before him. Fear not, he made respectable choices this time. He may not know how to eat beans, but he knows how to order a pizza! His was the meatfeast with turmeric base and stuffed crust. He loved the base, but was a little underwhelmed by the stuffed crust. He enjoyed the sausage and small bacon/ham chunks, and found the whole thing very tasty – but as soon as he tasted my smoky cheese, he wished he’d got some of that as well!

So if you’re in a decision-making mood (and it’s not too hot), get yourself to Picky Wops, and make sure you get that smoky cheese!