Orchard Ovens Launches ‘Spot V for Valoriani’ Contest

Orchard Ovens, suppliers of Tuscan pizza ovens manufactured in an artisan fashion by renowned family firm, Valoriani, has launched a ‘Spot V for Valoriani’ contest for pizza-loving diners in the UK.

The contest invites diners to take good note of the wood-fired oven in the pizzerias and restaurants that they visit and see whether it carries the Valoriani  ‘V’.  This symbol of excellence is one that signifies that their venue should deliver a first-class pizza, cooked in an optimal fashion within an oven formed from high-quality refractory clay.

The symbol also denotes an oven that comes packed with all-important insulation, to retain heat within and cook a pizza to perfection.

Furthermore, the V is a sign of love – that delivered by the artisans at the Valoriani factory in Reggello in Tuscany.  They devote hours to the process of putting each oven together, manufacturing both the oven shell and the oven floor in one location, so the entire process can be overseen from start to finish.  No other oven manufacturer does this and dedicates so much attention to detail to their ovens’ construction.

The artisan touches can also come from the hand application of mosaic tiles, the hand-painting of bespoke ovens and, of course, ensuring that the Valoriani ‘V’ has a prominent positioning.

A Valoriani oven, whether commercial or domestic, is also one constructed to an original design stretching back to the post-War era when the family artisans were asked to create an oven that could instantly be put into use by families needing to bake bread and other foods, in war-ravaged parts of the country.  This design achieved perfection in its culinary balance and symmetry and has been surpassed by no other oven, despite frequent imitation.

Spotting V for Valoriani therefore means a diner is eating at a venue with a wood-fired oven that is the real deal.  To celebrate this, the Orchard Ovens contest invites the diner to take a snap of the oven and send it in to the competition address, as well as posting it on their socials and tagging Orchard Ovens in.  

“The aim is help eateries leverage some kudos from the fact they have invested in Italy’s very finest commercial wood-fired oven and cared enough about their pizza delivery to give their customers a truly gourmet pizza product,” says Andrew Manciocchi.  

“We want to allow the pizza lover to recognise that a Valoriani ‘V’ should indicate they can put their trust in the eatery, because it is one that understands the difference between an average or good pizza and a great, authentic pizza.  That understanding comes from the pizza chef recognising that the oven itself is fundamental to this and that no amount of pizza-making skill in can overcome a situation in which the oven cannot perform at the top level.  

“If a customer spots a V for Valoriani, they should realise this is a venue striving for top-notch pizzas, each and every time dough goes into the oven.  Restaurants with a V for Valoriani to proudly flash, should be doing their utmost to get their customers to enter and promote the fact that their oven really is the pukka pizza oven choice.”

All Spot V for Valoriani photo entries will be entered into a prize draw, to win a prize intended to allow the pizza fan to create brilliantly cooked pizzas in their own home oven.  This is a Valoriani pizza stone – for use in a wood-fired oven but just as easily in a standard gas or electric oven indoors. The prize also includes both metal and wooden pizza peels.

Spot V for Valoriani images should be sent to andrew@orchardovens.co.uk by October 15, or sent by WhatsApp to Andrew Manciocchi.                                                          

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Editors notes

Orchard Ovens is the domestic and commercial pizza oven supplier in the UK of Valoriani, based in Reggello, Tuscany - the manufacturer of Italy's hugely respected Valoriani pizza ovens, known as the Maserati of pizza ovens and the kings of clay. These ovens are made from superb refractory clay - cotto clay - found in the family's quarry and unique, thanks to having just the right alumina. This allows Valoriani ovens to heat up quickly and retain heat superbly, bring huge advantages to homeowners, as well as restaurant owners, hotels, pubs, mobile caterers, pizzerias, takeaways and more.

Orchard Ovens supplies some of Britain's best-known restaurants and chefs, whilst it is also a specialist creator of outdoor kitchens and wood-fired oven builds for the rich and famous, as well as everyday homeowners wishing to add value to their home and enjoy an outdoor lifestyle to the full.