Halloumi, olive and mint pizzas

As Charlie goes off to university very soon (sob), and as we all know, being a student means living on a pretty limited budget. I want to make sure that he has loads of recipes that he can refer to here so that he can make himself a few decent meals without resorting to expensive takeaways. For a Friday night treat, is there anything better than pizza? It’s horrendously expensive to buy, but incredibly easy - and much cheaper - to make at home. Step forward my favourite essential Waitrose range which stocks all the products you need at great prices (and great welfare standards) without compromising on quality. Charlie loves halloumi, so I’ve created this pizza especially for him, piled high with all the ingredients he likes: here’s how to make my halloumi, olive and mint pizzas at home:

Essential Waitrose ingredients for halloumi, olive and mint pizzas

Halloumi, olive and mint pizzas (makes 2 large)

300g strong white bread flour
1 x 7g sachet fast action dried yeast
1 tsp salt
200ml warm water
1 big glug of olive oil
Tomato pasta sauce
Grated cheddar (or mozzarella - or both!)
1 pack halloumi cheese
black olives
Fresh mint

To make the dough

Weigh out the flour, then add in the yeast and salt (put them on different sides of the bowl). Measure out the warm water (that reminds me, we must buy Charlie a measuring jug!), and add in the oil.

Stir the dough until it starts to come together then either tip out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or if you’ve got a food processor with a dough hook, it will take about five minutes. You’re aiming for a nice, soft dough. Cover loosely with a bit of clingfilm, then leave the dough somewhere warm to puff up.

Allow the dough to puff up and double in size

Meanwhile, heat the oven to its highest setting and do a quick assembly job: grate the cheese if it’s not already done, slice the halloumi and olives, tear the mint, etc.

When you’re ready to go, punch the dough down with your fist then tip out onto a floured surface. Split into two then roll out using loads of flour. When you transfer the dough to the baking tray make sure you smother the tray in either flour or coarse semolina to stop it sticking.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the base, then scatter over the cheddar, halloumi, olives and mint (reserve a little for sprinkling).

Scatter over your ingredients

Bake for around 10 – 15 minutes until golden and bubbling, then sprinkle on a final flourish of mint.

Now you’ve got the base sorted, you can knock up a pizza any time with whatever ingredients you fancy, at a fraction of the cost of ordering in! You’ll find all these essential Waitrose ingredients in your local store, and this September, Waitrose are celebrating the fabulous essential Waitrose range by lowering hundreds of prices across the range, so pop in and give it a try!

Tuck in!