THE owner of a takeaway which brings a taste of Italy to Bolton has been crowned the maker of the best pizzas in town,

Franca’s, in St George’s Road, Bolton, was readers’ top choice in The Bolton News Food and Drink Wards 2017 Best Pizza category.

Out of five finalists, the independent outlet which also serves pasta and produce from its delicatessen, won 50 per cent of the votes — 31 per cent more than Bella Pizza, the takeaway in Octagon Court which came runner-up. Owner Franca Iaverdino said: “I am very pleased, after 31 years it is about time we got something! Absolutely everything is hand-made on the premises and is completely, 100 per cent natural. Pizzas are still made in the same way that we did when we first came here in 1986.

“When we started, you couldn’t buy anything pre-made, we had to do everything from scratch, but we have stuck to that method and that’s what makes the difference. We do everything from scratch, we even chop the mushrooms by hand that is what makes it special, I am Italian born and bred, so I know what pizza should really be like.”

She added: “ I’m really, really pleased that the public do know the difference between takeaways and a proper pizza. I don’t want to knock others, because they work very hard at what they do, but our food is definitely different. We are only open for 26 hours a week and we do not have to advertise, because people know we are good – for us, it is definitely a case of quality not quantity, that’s what it’s all about.”

Franca who hails from a small municipality called San Biase, in the Campobasso province of the Molise region of southern Italy, said she has always stayed true to her roots and there is “a little bit of San Biase in every meal”.

She added: “People said I wouldn’t be able to do it, but that was 31 years ago and I have never looked back.”