Pizza Express, Pizza Hut, Dominoes etc (UK)

[Mahk]

Are you sure you are at the UK site?

http://www.dominos.uk.com/pdf/FoodGu...ndToppings.pdf

In addition to whey there is L- cysteine in there which is typically made from human hair (usually sweepings from Chinese and Indian barber shops/ hair salons) or bird feathers such as duck. Yum.

[Rakey]

I must have been looking on the US site....

My god they have some revolting stuff in their pizzas..

[bexi]

Just thought I'd post to let you guys know that I had a really positive experience at pizza express the other day. They reccommended stuff to add that would taste nice on my cheeseless pizza & gave me extra toppings, gave me free rustica tomatoes because my family were all eating non-vegan starters, let me bring in my own vegan wine, and were generally really attentive and helpful .

[Demon]

Pizza Express is great. Don't have the pesto though - it has cheese and the local branches are not always aware of it.

[fiamma]

In addition to whey there is L- cysteine in there which is typically made from human hair (usually sweepings from Chinese and Indian barber shops/ hair salons) or bird feathers such as duck. Yum.

Where did you get this info? Can you provide a source?

[Mahk]

Fiamma, see: "Industrial Sources" section:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cysteine

also: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faqingredients.htm#cystine

[Risker]

Pizza hut is rebranding to pasta hut - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...Pasta-Hut.html

[Marrers]

The last sentence of that article made me laugh:-
Cadbury reintroduced the Wispa last year after an internet campaign which also involved protesters storming a stage at the Glastonbury festival.

[clare155]

I dont know if this has already been mentioned, im just going out so havent the time to check!
I was in Pizza Express last week and asked for the cheeseless pizza and the woman was good enough to tell me to make sure I also checked that it wasnt a cheesy base as apparently some restaurants have started using one - they still do the plain one tho!

Just something to mention, but I think they must use the plain base until someone requests a cheese one. Good to know!

[BlackCats]

(Thanks Clare.)

Does anyone know if Papa John's pizza base is still vegan by any chance?

[alisont]

I emailed Pizza Express asking for an update on what is vegan as the allergy lists being updated currently according to the website.

I had this reply:

Dear Alison,

Thank you for your email.

Although we do not actually have a vegan pizza on the menu, it is possible
to create your own from the ingredients we do have in our kitchens and all
our pizza are made to order and can be ordered without the items that
render it unsuitable i.e. pesto, cheese etc.

Our pizza bases are completely free of animal and dairy products and are
100% suitable for vegans, as is the oil used to lubricate the pans prior to
cooking. Our famous tomato sauce is made up of tomatoes, salt, pepper,
fresh basil and oregano. Unfortunately we don't have a vegan cheese in the
business but you can leave the cheese off any pizza of your choice.

If you fancy creating your own vegan pizza - use the tips above and then
choose toppings from our extra's menu which has a large variety of fresh
vegetables such as onion, peppers, artichokes, spinach, rocket, capers,
olives, jalapeno's, pine kernels, sultana's, tomatoes & mushrooms.

Avoid our dressings; they often include anchovy, cream or cheese.

I have attached our customer allergy/dietary information sheet, which lists
all our menu items and their suitability. We are able to make modifications
to certain dishes and I would advise that you speak to the manager on duty
regarding this.

I certainly hope this information helps and that you will continue to visit
PizzaExpress in the near future. If I can be of any further assistance,
please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards

Katrina Lister
Quality and Safety Co-ordinator

[sugarmouse]

thats cool to know!ThoughI would be tempted to pull them up on incorrect apostrophe use!

[Mr Flibble]

This site may be of interest to some: http://www.pizzaexpressoffers.co.uk/index.php

[Est]

Oh Mr Flibble. I think I love you

My voucher is printing out right now! Thanks

[flying plum]

i always liked pizza express, even when i was vegetarian, because it's one of the few places which accurately note that parmesan is NOT VEGETARIAN. they are also mindful of their desserts (like the chocolate cake not being veggie...not sure why anymore, i think gelatin?).

amanda

[confusionisben]

I went into pizza express and asked for a cheeseless pizza with extra vegetables. I got a few pepper slices. Not cool.

[Marrers]

I'm always specific in asking for "an extra topping of 'whatever' instead of the cheese" (as I don't expect to be charged for it).

[flying plum]

i've noticed that some places will do that, marrers, and some won't. my local pizzeria will ALWAYS do that for me, and i've never had to ask. they actually know my order now (i always have spinach instead of the cheese).

but pizza express has been a bit hit or miss. sometimes i've got loads of veggies, but often i haven't. i asked about it once, why i'd been charged extra when i had no cheese, and the waitress muttered soemthing about stock counting. for goodness sake....

amanda

[tigerbabe]

(Thanks Clare.)

Does anyone know if Papa John's pizza base is still vegan by any chance?

Yes it is according to the reply I got yesterday

[BlackCats]

^ Thanks, I had forgotten I had asked that question. The only thing is that I find Papa John's pizza very salty though but at least it is vegan.

[jonnie falafel]

I rarely eat at Pizza Express, but just occasionally when it's the only game in town, quite helpful & knowledgeable about vegan requirements. It's slightly irksome though, when I omit the cheese but ask for an extra topping, that they charge for the extra.

I know some people on this thread say otherwise, but I once had the misfortune to have to work at Pizza Hut for a short spell. I didn't find them careful regarding topping contamination and certainly not careful when it came to staff training.

[Verencemos]

My last encounter with Pizza Express was good - the waiter was contemplating becoming vegan and was well informed. He suggested I put the left over noci on my cheeseless pizza, which was a great idea. And I really liked the rustica tomatoes.

However several years ago, at the same PE, my (then vegetarian pizza) came out of the kitchen garnished with anchovies, which weren't even meant to be on it in the first place. The waitress noticed before I did. She took it back to the kitchen and said she'd had to argue with the chef who had wanted to just remove the fish and send back the same pizza. I'm pretty sure I got a fresh one in the end, but we didn't go back for years. It sounds like they have tightened up their act a bit recently.

I do like their pizzas. MMMM

[Rakey]

i always liked pizza express, even when i was vegetarian, because it's one of the few places which accurately note that parmesan is NOT VEGETARIAN. they are also mindful of their desserts (like the chocolate cake not being veggie...not sure why anymore, i think gelatin?).

amanda

The chocolate cake is a betty crocker mix that may contain animal fats, so it is not vegetarian.
I love the fact that pizza express realise that their dishes with parmesan are not vegetarian.

[Jiffy]

Funnily enough I ended up in Pizza Express with the family last week. Much to my surprise the waiter actually seemed to be on the ball and even pointed out that the Gardieniere (SP?) wasn't vegan due to animal products in the pesto.

[Marrers]

I always have the Veneziana and change or add a few toppings.

[Gorilla]

check this out:

Domino's scientists test limits of what humans will eat

[harpy]

Heh - a lot of truth in that.

I think there may be an extra "http:" at the beginning of your link gorilla -

http://www.theonion.com/content/vide...test_limits_of

[Mahk]

^linky no worky. I think it has to have an extra "http" removed from it.

edit: oops, harpy beat me by one minute!

[Gorilla]

ah, thanks. i can't edit it (i get logged out every time i try to save the changed for some reason) so thanks for reposting, harpy.

[Quantum Mechanic]

I ate a Dominos pizza once (in the US where the thin crust is the only one without whey), and it tasted OK (we added some extra veggies at home and some soy mozzarella on some of the slices), but we made sure to eat it up before my mom got home because it looked so meager (especially for the price). I hear a local pizza place does a vegan pizza, though, and the cafeteria also does vegan pizzas on a regular basis (pretty much every day), so I am glad that this wasn't my first and only impression of a vegan pizza.

[alisont]

We might be going for a family meal at PizzaHut later this week so been on their website and noticed they have updated the allergy file includes if items are vegan or not.

It seems the salad bar has been re vamped as mentions hummous and lots of salads. Not sure if that is just lunch or all day.

All the pasta is marked as non vegan but apart from stuffed crust all pizza bases are listed as vegan.

Will see how we get on!

[Enchantress]

The arrabiatta pasta is listed as vegan on Pizza Hut's website.

[helen105281]

We eat in Pizza Hut sometimes. We tend to have the pizza with no cheese. Not tried the pasta. New salad bar is great and was there in the evening.

[Kate1978]

New salad bar sounds good, I'm going to Pizza Hut with some omni friends next week so will have chance to try it out. :smile:

[Spud Addict]

I went to pizza hut last week, and it occurred to me while I was eating my pizza that I could smell something a bit fishy...
I then realised that it was the (2!) mushrooms that were on the pizza, they were off!
I picked them off and told the waitress, who said "oh! sorry about that", and carried on eating the pizza.
Thanks love (!)
Well I ate the rest of it sans offending mushrooms, but had a rough night, I can tell you! (Too much detail I'm sure)
*sigh* apart from that though, the meal was lovely and has gotten my taste back for pizza, after the pizzas I used to get from Perfect Pizza (Papa Johns) always seemed to be made from dough that was about to turn.

[treaclemine]

I believe such Web sites are legitimate?
http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/pizzaexpress.com

[jibber]

I believe such Web sites are legitimate?
http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/pizzaexpress.com

I have used the vouchers many times - although I signed up to the Pizza Express offers website and they send them to me via e mail. Its a great deal.

[kolo]

The Veggie hot one without cheese is one of my favourites from Pizza Hut. If you aren't having cheese they will usually let you choose another topping for free too

I also go to Pizza Express and use the two for one vouchers off the net. Although Pizza Express doesn't have as many options for toppings as Pizza Hut the pizzas are of a a better quality IMO.

[Mr Flibble]

The arrabiatta pasta is listed as vegan on Pizza Hut's website.

As is garlic butter spray:

http://www.pizzahut.co.uk/media/7746...ments-0409.pdf

[Enchantress]

It could be vegan, it's not neccesarily real butter. Not that I ever eat at Pizza Hut.

[starlight]

A warning about Bella Pasta ...

I went with some work colleagues and came away with nothing to eat at all. The staff didn't know what was in any of their products, as it seems they are all made off-site and just heated up on the premises - even the pizza bases - and apparantly they arrive without even lists of ingredients on the packaging.

I won't be going there again.

[DavidT]

's funny, I was talking to a guy who used to work in a small baker's shop here in our county town. We have only ever bought sourdough bread there, as it is delicious and nothing else on sale there appeals.

What he said surprised me and really cheered me up: he said all the goods sold are bought in from bulk suppliers frozen and then (if necessary) heated or cooked on the premises. The only thing actually made from scratch was the sourdough bread, because the owner ate it too!

It was the only bread on the premises that was 'dusty' with flour, which apparently can give the game away unless the owners are on the ball.

It puts a different light on the business, much like Bella Pasta, eh, starlight?

[snaffler]

Looking at this today http://takeafreshlook.co.uk/download...ngredients.pdf no dominoes bases are not vegan any longer some clearly have whey in and the others are marked as contains milk.