I tested pizza chain cook at home pies from Zizzi to Franco Manca & the tasty winner is half price of the restaurant

TODAY is National Pizza Day and what better way to celebrate than with a big slice of your favourite variety?

Every year, we spend more than £5billion on pizzas, with 80 per cent ordered at restaurants and takeaways and 20 per cent bought at supermarkets.

Oliver Dixon

Consumer reporter Lynsey Hope samples supermarket cook at home pizzas and rates them out of five[/caption]

But as prices rise, you could save money by buying one by your favourite brands and cooking it at home.

Franco Manca, Zizzi and Pizza Express all have options.

Lynsey Hope samples the choices and gives her verdicts, and ratings out of five.

Zizzi

Rustica Piccante Pepperoni Pizza £4.25, Morrisons

Oliver Dixon

Zizzi’s Rustica Piccante Pepperoni Pizza is £4.25 at Morrisons[/caption]

Oliver Dixon

This pizza was very spicy but good value[/caption]

(Cooking time: 11-12 mins)

ZIZZI has launched a whole range of branded dishes at selected Morrisons stores so I was excited to see how well, or not, this fared when compared with their restaurant grub.

I enjoyed the crumbled pepperoni, and the base cooked pretty well.

This pizza tasted very spicy, with the hot peppers and drizzled chilli oil, and for the price I thought this was good value.

Rating: 3/5

FRANCO MANCA

Spicy Salami, Fried Onion and Chilli-Infused Honey, £5, ocado.com

Oliver Dixon

A Franco Manca Spicy Salami, Fried Onion and Chilli-Infused Honey pizza is £5 at ocado.com[/caption]

Oliver Dixon

This delicious pizza is my top pick[/caption]

(Cooking time: 9 minutes)

A SOURDOUGH base topped with rich tomato sauce, spicy salami, mozzarella and fried onions, this was super-easy to prepare.

It cooked perfectly in nine minutes.

Then just drizzle on the ­chilli-infused honey before serving.

For taste, this was my favourite.

The base was really special.

I’d go as far to say I’ve never eaten a pizza this good when not in a restaurant.

My top scorer, this was of exceptional quality.

Simply delicious.

Rating: 5/5

TGI Fridays

Triple Pepperoni Sharing Pizza £4.50, iceland.co.uk

Oliver Dixon

TGI Fridays’ Triple Pepperoni Sharing Pizza is £4.50 at Iceland[/caption]

Oliver Dixon

This base was very dry and the pizza was not very tasty[/caption]

(Cooking time: 17-18 minutes)

GREAT value but the base was very dry and the pizza as a whole was not very tasty.

The pepperoni had a bit of a tang and there wasn’t enough tomato sauce.

It suggests on the pack to cook for 17 to 18 minutes but I found it took longer before the toppings appeared ready, by which time the base had dried out and was overcooked.

It had a bit of a strange aftertaste, too.

Rating: 2/5

PIZZA PILGRIMS

Napoli Pizza At Home Kit £7.50, ocado.com

Oliver Dixon

Pizza Pilgrims’ Napoli Pizza At Home Kit is £7.50 at ocado.com[/caption]

Oliver Dixon

You may need to buy some extra toppings with this pizza but your kids will love it[/caption]

(Cooking time: 10 minutes)

THIS at-home kit contains enough to make two pizzas, although if you want more interesting toppings you’ll have to buy extra as this set contains only mozzarella and tomato.

The dough mix was good, and easy to pull.

You can cook in a pizza oven or in a frying pan and it didn’t take long at all to prepare.

Far better than your standard supermarket fare and the kids will love making it.

Rating: 4/5

PIZZA EXPRESS

American Hot £6, sainsburys.co.uk

Oliver Dixon

A Pizza Express American Hot pizza is £6 at sainsburys.co.uk[/caption]

Oliver Dixon

This pizza isn’t as good as what you would order in the restaurants[/caption]

(Cooking time: 10 minutes)

I FOUND the base of this one a bit dry and rather cardboard-like.

This pizza was the most expensive, by weight, in our test and wasn’t my favourite.

No fuss and easy to make, it was ready in ten minutes, and the pepperoni and jalapenos were nice and plentiful.

But it’s not a patch on what you get if you order in one of the chain’s restaurants.

Rating: 3/5