Nomad Pizza has won the Best Independent Pizza Delivery Award at the Pizza and Pasta Association’s PAPA Industry Awards 2020, recognising the best pizza the UK has to offer.

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield tweeted, "Amazing. Congratulations and well deserved. "

Married couple, Vicki and Jon originally set up the Cornish Pizza Company, which was also shortlisted for the awards in 2013 and 2015. Jon said, " I’m still pinching myself. After coming close before, I am thrilled that we have now won this award with Nomad Pizza. It’s a shame because of Coronavirus there isn’t the glitzy London ceremony this year. Hopefully our amazing team can experience that next year."

Vicki and Jon say the key to their success is making their dough daily with organic flour as well as using fresh local produce such as Kent cheeses and meats from the local butchers. They value employing local staff and continuously seek to support local charities and collaborate with local businesses. The company name is based on the idea that Vicki and Jon’s pizza has been on a journey from coast to coast, and equally celebrates their shared love of travel.

To pay tribute to their new home in the Garden of England, pizzas are named named after a variety of apple. For example, ‘Rambo’, ‘Scrumptious’, ‘Red Devil,’ and ‘Tiddly’ for their children’s size pizzas after the smallest of apples - the ‘Tiddly Pomme’.

They opened at the beginning of August – in the middle of the pandemic. "It wasn’t planned that way but we had to hit the ground running and due to holidaymakers flocking down because they could not travel abroad, it was incredibly busy. All credit to a brand new staff team to manage so magnificently.”

Jon and Vicki relied on a government start up loan topped up with a crowd-funding campaign. Vicki said, "We are so grateful to the local community for supporting us and getting us over the line and making this happen. Now Whitstable has an award-winning takeaway to enjoy. ”

Jon continued, "We had no second thoughts about opening a new business at this turbulent time. I think you have to be a little bit crazy to start your own business anyway. We had total belief in our business plan, having had done it before in Cornwall, and were convinced Whitstable suited our ethos of a small, quirky independent using local produce and local staff and delivering quality fresh pizza to take away.”

In spite of the current lockdown, Nomad Pizza continues to go strength to strength. Jon concluded, "I’m looking forward to the pubs and restaurants opening again soon so we and our staff can have a proper celebration. ”

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