Sheffield Pizza: 'Rags to riches' entrepreneur lands 400 event bookings and new base at The Masons in Crookes

A Sheffield pizza entrepreneur has opened a permanent base in Sheffield and built a busy events business in months.

Six months ago Adam Lott had a van fitted with a pizza oven and just £100 after a washout summer serving on a campsite in 2023.

Today he has taken on the kitchen at The Masons pub, on Carson Road, Crookes, has 400 bookings for Event Pizzas and employs four.

Adam, aged 35, described his journey as "rags to riches" which he put down to "doing dough" until 1am and working until 2am.

He said: "It’s a crazy story to be honest. In July I travelled to Southampton to work at a campsite making pizzas and the weather was terrible and there was no work for me. 

"By August all I had was a van and £100 to get the business on the road. I booked a couple of hen do's and a wedding. That paid for the oven for September so I knew I had under two months to get this business right."

Adam said he bought a woodfired pizza oven for £600 and fitted it into his van himself, to save money. He specialises in Neapolitan-style pizza with a thin base made from three-day fermented sourdough.

After several jobs "word of mouth travelled fast" and he was asked to serve at events for Mercedes Benz, Amazon, Harley Davidson, Enterprise Rent a Car and others, he added.

By January he was looking for a base in which to expand and where wedding couples could try food. After joining his partner in Sheffield he rented the kitchen at The Masons, a Stonegate pub.

Today it employs a chef and, as well as pizza, serves 'unlimited wings, challenge burgers and street food', eat in or takeaway.

Adam added: "It’s going really well, I’ve got a lot of support, which is good. We’re on Deliveroo and going on Just Eat. But I try not to work on Sunday because that’s when I go to church."