A Darlington pizza restaurant has won a prestigious award for its food.
Stable Hearth on Duke Street in Darlington won Best Pizzeria in the UK at the Italian Awards, an award the restaurant also won in 2018 and 2019.
The restaurant was also highly commended for best team and best pizza at the awards ceremony at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate Hotel earlier this month.
Success for Stable Hearth does not end there, the restaurant is also the only one in the country to be awarded Platinum Level by the ITA (Italian Taste Certification Agency).
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The popular eatery is also the sole AVPN (The True Neapolitan Pizza Association) restaurant in the country to be awarded Platinum Level by the ITA.
Nicholas Thexton, owner of Stable Hearth, said: “We put the success down to hard work. We know how to make good authentic Neapolitan pizza and we have a great selection of wines too.
“We’ve always done takeaway as well but that really exploded during lockdown. Now that the restaurant's open again and things are back to normal, more people are eating in the restaurant.
“Our team is small but we’re a tight-knit team and we all work well together.
“We like to do our own take on classics. We have one called The Three Little Pigs which is Cumberland sausage, pancetta and black pudding.”
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At Stable Hearth, it's authentic Neapolitan pizza all the way, there is no deep pan or thin and crispy pizza on the menu.
Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are soft in the centre, meaning the slice is unable to hold its own weight which is why many choose to fold the slice or use a knife and fork.
The dough for every pizza is made on site each day and only four ingredients are used; flour, water, salt and yeast, and is proved for a minimum of 24 hours.
The traditional wood-burning oven operates at over 400 degrees and the pizzas cook within 90 seconds.
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Only authentic ingredients and recipes are used so do not expect to find ham and pineapple on the menu.
The restaurant boasts an impressive Enoteca, meaning an extensive wine selection, too.
The restaurant opened in Darlington in 2017 after originally opening within a pub in Gainford, County Durham, in 2013.
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