Our Story
Village Pizza Kitchen was founded by local resident Jo Malone and opened its doors on Hurstpierpoint High Street in December 2020, in the midst of the Covid lockdown.
Having lived in the village for many years, Jo saw an opportunity to create something a little different – an independent pizza kitchen built around artisan methods, exceptional ingredients and a passion for showcasing the very best British produce.
Opening a pizza restaurant had been a long-held ambition. Many years earlier, Jo had come close to opening a New York-style pizzeria in Brighton, but by the time the opportunity arose again, the pizza scene had moved on. Rather than revisit the original concept, she wanted to create something more distinctive and personal – combining her love of great pizza with something equally important to her: showcasing exceptional British produce and supporting local producers.
That philosophy shaped Village Pizza Kitchen from the very beginning. Before opening, Jo spent six months researching, speaking to and visiting producers across Sussex and further afield – including an extensive search for just the right British flour for our dough.
Today, that philosophy is what we call British Craft Pizza: combining traditional artisan pizza-making techniques with exceptional British ingredients and the fantastic produce available on our doorstep.
Almost all of our key ingredients are British, from the flour in our pizza dough and the chillies in our homemade chilli oil to the fior di latte on our pizzas. Much of our meat and charcuterie comes from nearby Ashurst, while our cheeses are British, with many produced here in Sussex.
We also believe that great food should be made with care. We make virtually everything we can from scratch, including our pizza dough and sauces, along with many of our toppings, pasta dishes and desserts.
Our signature pizza dough begins with a biga preferment and is slowly fermented and cold-proofed for a minimum of 72 hours. This long fermentation develops deeper, more complex flavours while creating the light texture that has become a hallmark of our pizzas.
Great value, warm hospitality and being a socially conscious independent business are equally important to us. But at the heart of Village Pizza Kitchen is something very simple: a love of making really great food and sharing it with our customers.
And none of it would be possible without our fantastic team, who share that passion every day.
