Kitchen conversations: Purezza

1. What inspired you to start a fully meat free restaurant?

I actually started Purezza because I was frustrated with the idea that vegan food had to feel like a compromise. I grew up loving proper comfort food, especially pizza, and I wanted to prove you could create something indulgent, exciting and genuinely world class without using animal products. Back then, plant-based options felt very “worthy” but not always delicious. I wanted to change that.

2. What’s your favourite ingredient in the kitchen?

Probably tomatoes. Sounds simple, but they’re the foundation of so many great dishes. A really good tomato can carry an entire pizza or pasta. They bring acidity, sweetness, umami, everything.

3. What’s your best kitchen hack or tip?

Keep it simple. People often overcomplicate cooking by adding too many ingredients or trying to do too much. Usually, the best dishes come from a few really good ingredients done properly. Less is often more.

4. How do you attract meat-eaters to the restaurant?

By not preaching. We focus on flavour first. Most meat eaters don’t walk in because they suddenly want to become vegan; they come because they’ve heard the food is great. Once people have an amazing meal, the labels matter a lot less.

5. What’s your most popular dish?

Our margherita-style pizzas are always huge, because they let the ingredients speak for themselves.

6. How have you noticed the cultural opinion towards meat free change over the last few years?

It’s changed massively. When we first started, vegan food still felt niche, and people almost treated it as a sacrifice. Now people are much more open minded. A lot of customers aren’t vegan at all, they just want to eat a bit lighter, more sustainably or they’re curious. The quality across the industry has improved massively too.

7. What do you think the next trend will be in the plant-based space?

I think the next phase is less about ultra processed imitation products and more about genuinely exciting food in its own right. Better fermentation, better whole food cooking, more focus on provenance and quality ingredients rather than trying to perfectly mimic meat.

8. What’s the one plant-based dish you think everyone should be able to cook?

A really good tomato pasta. If you can make a proper simple pasta with great tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and good seasoning, you understand balance and flavour. Simple food is the hardest to do well.

9. What’s your favourite thing to cook whenyou’renot at work? 

Honestly, quite simple food. Pasta, grilled vegetables, good bread, olive oil. When you cook professionally all day, you usually crave things that are comforting and uncomplicated. 

10. Which restaurant do you love for a veggie meal?

I love places that don’t treat vegetarian food like an afterthought. In London there are some incredible restaurants now where vegetables are the star of the show rather than just replacing meat.

11. What advice would you give to people wanting to try meat free?

Don’t overthink it. People often think they have to completely change their identity overnight. Just start by trying genuinely good food. If your experience of meat free food is exciting and satisfying, the transition becomes much easier naturally. 

Purezza has restaurants in London, Brighton and Manchester. Find out more via its website, Facebook and Instagram pages.