He may serve roasted quail with Waterloo custard and onion chutney at his own Michelin-starred restaurant but chef Marcus Wareing’s own tastes appear to be a little more down to earth.
The MasterChef: The Professionals judge has revealed his favourite pizza is the American Hot at the high-street chain Pizza Express.
When asked by the TikTok influencer Jesse Burgess to name his favourite pizza, Wareing said: “This one is easy, but you’re not going to like the answer. Pizza Express. I know, I know.” He added: “I still eat the same pizza I was eating for the past 20 years, American Hot, I love it. Romana, a little bit of extra chilli, I love it. It’s got to be a Romana base. And you know, every time I go it’s cooked the same.”
Pizza Express’s corporate TikTok account replied to the video saying: “Yes, chef!” and another person wrote: “He should hand back his stars!”
The chef has previously made his love for Pizza Express known. In 2012, Wareing told Spear’s Magazine: “This may be a surprise but I am a regular at our local Pizza Express with our children and I think it is a fantastic business. I have tried other pizza restaurants but the service is lacking.” He added: “When I go here I know what I am getting, how long it will take, the kids love it and it gives me a day off from cooking.”
The pizza chain was founded by Peter Boizot, with the first restaurant opening on Wardour Street in central London. At its peak there were 470 sites across the UK, with a further 100 in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. However, under the restructuring by its creditors more than 100 restaurants closed. Waring’s favourite pizza, the American Hot, costs £16.25.
Wareing’s three restaurants include Marcus in Knightsbridge, which has received one Michelin star and five AA rosettes.
He has reached a new audience as one of the faces of BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals, a cooking show in which he judges the dishes made by 32 ambitious cooks from across the UK as they vie for a place as the series champion.
A spokesman for Pizza Express said: “Our iconic American Hot has long been a favourite with customers – and now a Michelin-star chef, too. There will always be a marble table with Marcus’s name on it at Pizza Express.”
