I tried Prezzo's Creme Egg calzone and other Easter menu dishes - review

It clearly wasn’t a surprise as I’d just ordered it from the menu, but it was still surprising, and I’m glad to report that it was surprising in a very pleasant way. While scientists will probably never improve upon the sensation of chucking a whole Creme Egg in your mouth, then munching it and licking your teeth until every speck is gone, having a chewy outer core to the soft and warm egg inside is a pretty close runner-up. Add a scoop of ice cream dusted with chocolate flakes and well done everyone.

Prezzo's Creme Egg calzone | Tom Morton/NationalWorld

Another new addition to Prezzo’s menu also features an old favourite given a new twist. A tomatoey, creamy pasta sauce is never something to complain about, and mix in some chilli and you are definitely getting me interested. Add some vodka and you do change the dynamics of the taste - it adds a tingle to the mouthfeel, and whereas chilli can feel like a sharp taste, the vodka somehow seems to broaden it, without taking away the spice.

Prezzo's pasta alla vodka | Tom Morton/NationalWorld

It’s been a trendy sauce for a couple of years, and the fashion has seen the model Gigi Hadid’s version of the recipe bounce around on Instagram a lot, and this a good version. I opted to add chicken to the dish, which made it a touch more filling, and I’d also recommend a good coating of parmesan and hefty twist of black pepper too. It’s a great, zippy dish and perfect for the April we’ve enjoyed - fresh like the hot days, and warming for the cold nights.

Prezzo's garlic bread with mozzarella and balsamic onions | Tom Morton/NationalWorld

Before that there was a garlic bread starter, made slightly decadent with the addition of mozzarella and balsamic onions - and lovely sweet note among the softness of the cheese and the tang of the garlic - and then a large Tuscan sausage and broccoli pizza, which had sausage crumbs and chillies on the cheese base. Prezzo have a bit of a reputation for doing pizzas properly and they did not disappoint here - the base was perfect and the toppings well proportioned.

Prezzo's Tuscan sausage and broccoli pizza | Tom Morton/NationalWorld

The children had a three-course meal, opting for vegetable sticks and hummus, then pizza, and finishing with a choose-your-own sundae, with options of chocolate or vanilla ice cream, or mango or raspberry sorbet, then chocolate, caramel or strawberry sauce, and as many toppings of bananas, strawberry, cherry, and rainbow sprinkles as desired.

(A side note: one of our children has a dairy allergy, and while in general the world is very good nowadays, let’s still highlight good practice when we see it. Even though it was perfectly possible to order a dairy free meal, the waitress was keen to inform the kitchen that there was a diner with an allergy, and his meals came with flags on to denote they were dairy-free. Yes, I know plenty of places do this, but it cannot be overstated that if restaurants get this wrong then at best it’s a ruined meal and a day of illness, and at worst it’s extremely serious. So thank you to those who take care, and who stick to systems designed to look after people.)

Prezzo's child vegan margherita | Tom Morton/NationalWorld

So all in all, a great and not-too-expensive place for a family meal (the large pizza, which was more than enough for one person was in the mid-teens, and the children’s meals came in at under £10 each - plus there are deals to be had over Easter where you get a free kid’s meal with an adult meal, which makes it even better. As we left, the seven-year-old, who had never been to a Prezzo before, confided that it was ‘even better than McDonald’s’, which is about the highest praise you can get from that age group. Mum and dad, delightedly stuffed with pizza and pasta - and the aforementioned Creme Egg calzone - could only nod in agreement.

To find your nearest Prezzo, click here.