It’s always interesting to know why customers choose a Valoriani pizza oven for their garden, so we took the opportunity to talk to Max Carding, who lives near Southampton, and who is now the proud owner of a Fornino 60 wood-fired oven.

Max is one of many Valoriani wood-fired pizza oven owners who have traded up from a barbecue.  After years of tackling barbecue cooking, he was ready for a new culinary challenge beyond charcoal and skewers.  Having moved home and acquired a period courtyard at a house dating from 1580, he decided he wanted something stylish and quirky to grace his new historic surrounds.  The Fornino 60 was the answer.

By becoming the owner of Valoriani’s baby wood-fired pizza oven, Max is looking forward to getting to grips with a new method of cooking.  The cream-coloured dome matches the surrounding stone of the property supremely well and the stainless-steel chimney is something Max really “loves”.  The oven is now settled into its new home, in a sheltered part of the garden and it is sure to keep any guests at al fresco parties warm and cosy.  A veranda is planned, to provide cover while cooking, so there are lots of things in the pipeline.

The purchase of the Valoriani wood fired oven was all thanks to a friend’s recommendation. The dedicated friend had researched the pizza oven market over the course of a whole year and had determined that the Valoriani was the best wood-fired oven for Max to buy.  He also decreed that the Fornino 60 was the best baby wood oven in the market. 

Max took no convincing and did not even consider any other pizza oven brands, knowing how thorough and discerning his friend tends to be.  He knew he wanted a high-quality pizza oven that was well-engineered, contemporary in style and a culinary vehicle through which to mix old and new at his new home.  The Valoriani Fornino pizza oven clearly fit the bill and, although he originally ordered a Fornino 75, he quickly realised there was not enough room in his courtyard, informed Valoriani and got an immediate refund for the difference in cost between the Fornino 75 and the smaller Fornino 60, which did suit the available space.

“Valoriani were trustworthy and very efficient, co-operating fully and being very helpful about the whole thing,” says Max.  “I was very impressed.”

Having taken delivery of his wood oven, this Dorset homeowner is wowed by its ‘physique’ and attractiveness.  He compares it to a Maserati that he used to own, which was the best car he had ever driven. 

“The quality of the build is superb.  The Valoriani really is the Maserati of pizza ovens”, says Max.  “The minute I saw it, I could only liken it to my former car.”

It is not just pizza that this Valoriani oven will be cooking, as the plan is for potatoes, slow-roasted lamb and pulled pork to be just some of the dishes cooked in the wood fired garden oven.  Max is on a mission to impress his girlfriend, who is a Cordon Bleu cook leading Aga cooking courses

“I am studying all the videos on YouTube, and the recipes on the Valoriani website, and am really looking forward to teaching myself how to cook with a pizza oven, having already mastered barbecue and Aga cookery,” he explains.

Max opted for a full installation service and is glad he paid the small fee for that.  He has felt in “safe hands” with the Valoriani team from day one and is now looking forward to something very special.

“I am aiming to cook Christmas dinner in my oven and will use the next few months as practice time,” he says.  “I love my new oven and can only endorse both its quality and Valoriani UK’s service.”