As residents tighten their wallets and think twice about spending on eating out, a local pizza restaurant has adjusted their deals to ensure that a healthier option isn’t always a more expensive one. 

Having opened in North Harrow in November 2021, Fireaway Pizza aimed to be the reason families ate out again despite a national downturn in the economy. 

“There were a lot of people out of work due to the pandemic and less people had a disposable income. Eating out had become a luxury again,” explains Priyen Patel, owner and manager of Fireaway Harrow. “Even today, the cost of living crisis affects everyone, so we adjust our offers to be affordable.”  

With a half-price pizza deal that caters specifically to lunchtime visitors and “buy one get one free” offers that serve evening customers, Priyen is happiest when he sees his clients return because they enjoy the taste of his fast-fired pizza which is ready in 180 seconds. 

“We have high-quality ingredients and everything is fresh on site. All our dough is made fresh on a daily basis, so it’s lighter and easier to digest than other places, which use preserved dough with oils and sugars added in,” he says.

North Harrow is a very diverse community, so Priyen and his team want to make sure that they cater for everyone. "We offer vegan cheese so anyone with a dairy allergy won’t miss out. We’ve also added vegan pepperoni and strips. We offer a gluten-free base that comes straight out of the freezer and doesn’t touch the flour. All our meat is Halal and even our marshmallows are too. In Hinduism, there are some who can’t eat onions or garlic and so we avoid that in our sauce.”  

Fireaway’s recipe for success isn’t just a hit with pizza lovers; Fireaway was mentioned by a scientific research group Action on Salt’s 2023 study as being among the healthiest pizzas offered by takeaways, with the least amount of salt per 100 grams when compared with big chains like Dominos and Papa John’s. 

The customers are happy too and it seems like Priyen is now making pizza for his new friends. Fuad, a regular customer, says:

“Fireaway Harrow offers a healthy alternative to the big brand pizzas and has become an integral part of the North Harrow community in no time,"

Fireaway is also a proud member of the North Harrow Traders Association and liaise with the local community to promote and give back to the area.

Soha Omar