If you have ever gone to the trouble of preparing a pizza freshly from home, you will know that the one thing that keeps you going is the smell! The preparation is crucial, and if you have the time, it is worth making your own dough. It doesn’t have to take that long. All you need is one of those bread making machines that are available from Robert Dyas or Comet. If you don’t have time, there is always the supermarket route of pre-prepared foil-wrapped dough.

Any food that you prepare from home should smell delicious in no time and whet the appetite, such as pizza which has a special aroma of its own. My own favourite would have fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, green olives from Spain and artichokes. The Italians call this the ‘Capriciosa’.

I am a recent convert to home-made pizzas, but like everyone else, have been inspired by a particular holiday experience. There is an Italian restaurant on the seafront in Hove, which makes great pizzas and ice cream to die foe, and loves to entertain. I like the combination of tasty food and entertainment, and consider the Italians and the Spanish as masters of the art. In Asturias, northern Spain, they have there own method of pouring the local cider or ‘sidre’. The waiter becomes ‘entranced’, and pours from above his head into a small glass. Totally and utterly pointless – but marvellous entertainment!

The Italians love to show the world how good they are at preparing their dough (could be football, lovers), and how crucial it is to the whole process. The secret of a great pizza, according to them, is the flexibility of the dough, and the correct temperature in the oven. This dough is unbelievably soft and pliable. I know this because as part of the entertainment, they bring it around and let you have a squeeze! They have perfected the art of ‘spinning’ the dough, which gives it the familiar circular shape that we all know and love.

If it is not raining or cold, you can still watch all the entertainment but take the food onto the beach! Sunset on the beach, Pier collapsing in the background, great pizza, perfect company – bliss!