Pat’s Pizza x Foodwave

This month’s Pat’s Pizza is the ‘Pevensey Blue’

We’ve barely caught our breath from the last few months of festival frolics and al fresco summertime in Lewes and Newhaven, and we’re already kicking off September with a stellar lineup of tasty treats and events as part of Foodwave. We’ve got a pizza special that celebrates a delicious, locally made, Sussex cheese.

Foodwave is an exciting new food festival celebrating the power of food across Sussex to strengthen communities, support local economies, and restore our relationship with the land. It brings together local producers, businesses, residents, and organizations under a shared vision. The festival is produced by Common Cause Co-operative, an organization that has sat at the heart of the Lewes food scene for over thirty years—running the Lewes Farmers Market since 1998, alongside managing Lewes House Garden and Ringmer Orchard.

After 15 years of making pizza and building our own ovens, Pat has consistently maintained: “When you build an oven, you build a community.”

So, when Nava approached us with the concept of Foodwave, we were immediately on board. As a Lewes business, supporting our local ecosystem is central to what we do, and Foodwave’s mission of strengthening community through food aligned with our values. To mark the occasion, we’re serving up a September pizza special that highlight the very best local Sussex produce. We’ve teamed up with Pevensey Cheese Co to create a delicious special for you this month.

Harry and Pat taste testing the cheese.

Last month’s special was inspired by heat and celebrated spicy! But now that the bold hot weather has eased off, thankfully, and with a special blue cheese and cooler nights in mind, we thought we’d go creamy and comforting. When we first tasted the Pevensey Blue we were amazed at how it melted in the mouth and it was a blue but it was so creamy and sweet. There’s a hint of the sea on the rind and elegant green veining on the inside. We were intrigued at how it would perform in the oven. 

Pat smelling the hint of the sea on the edible rind.

We needed to pair this exceptional cheese respectfully. After playing around with some fennel and pear combinations we settled on a classic fig and walnut.

On the chopping board.

I (Liz) had just made a savoury tart, on the previous weekend before our foodwave r&d, filled with the most indulgent garlicky creme fraiche dauphinois style potatoes and salty pancetta. With this tasty tart still on our minds we thought we’d use this creamy combo as the base with some added lemon thyme and layer the Pevensey Blue, figs, mozzarella, pancetta and walnuts on top.

Cooking the test pizzas in our wood-fired oven.

‘Pevensey Blue’ A white pizza with garlic creme fraiche, mozzarella, Pevensey Blue, lemon thyme, pancetta, figs and walnuts.

It’s a taste sensation! The Pevensey blue melts perfectly on top of this creamy garlic base, bringing a soft, velvety flavour with a perfect balance of sweetness and savouriness. The pancetta adds the needed salt and the sweetness of the figs marries the Pevensey Blue at first bite, all the while accompanied by soft lemony notes of thyme and a welcome crunch from the toasted walnut. With everything sitting atop our signature, locally grown heritage grain, dough.

When we first made the pizza we actually forgot to put the pancetta on, so we can quite confidently say, if you don’t happen to eat meat, that it tastes great without it. 

We’re delighted to be able to showcase this delicious cheese for Foodwave festival.

You can order this month’s ‘Pat’s Pizza’ - the “Pevensey Blue’ at The Lewes Arms, and our shop in Newhaven and for collection or delivery by clicking here. It will also be available at our event at The Depot Dalliance on Saturday 5th September and at the Foodwave Common Cause event at Harvey’s Brewery on Saturday 12th September. You can view more information about the Foodwave programme here.

And you can read our ‘Pizza and a pint’ chat with Pevensey Cheese Company here.