Woolton Pizza Pie (Roast Vegetable Pizza)

Woolton Pizza Pie is a roasted vegetable pizza on a light fluffy potato bread base. It’s my update on Woolton Pie which is one of the most famous British wartime rationing recipes.

What was Woolton Pie?

Woolton Pie was a vegetable pie named after Lord Woolton, the Minister of Food in 1940. This tasty and nutritious vegetable pie was created by Francis Ladry, Chef at the Savoy Hotel in London.  It was heavily promoted to encourage everyone to eat more vegetables at a time when meat was in short supply.

Why make Woolton Pizza Pie?

Woolton Pie is a filling and delicious recipe, however I wanted to develop a more modern version using similar ingredients that would appeal more to families today.

Woolton Pizza Pie tastes amazing, even better than I expected.  The potato bread dough is really light and fluffy and, because the vegetables are roasted with smoked paprika, they are delicious.  It’s also versatile as you can use a variety of vegetables and adapt the seasoning to suit your taste.

Celebrate VE Day with Woolton Pizza Pie 

I origianlly created this recipe to celebrate VE Day (8th May 1945) for the 70th Anniversary of the end of the WW2 in Europe. And here we are ten years later celebrating the 80th Anniversary at a time when peace feels a little more precarious than it did in 2015.

Dig for Victory

Very quickly after the outbreak of war it was clear that there was a despearate need for vegetables. Supplies from the rest of Europe dried up and farmers switched to growing cereals for bread, potatoes and other crops for animal feed. This led to a campagin which encouraged everyone to Dig for Victory.

No plot was too small to be turned into a Victory garden. Flower gardens and lawns were dug up to grow vegetables. There was also a campaign to increase the take up of allotments in urban areas.

By the end of May 1941 Britstol had more than 15,000 allotments and by January 1942 there were almost 3,000 allotments covering an area of 150 acres in Tottenham, London. People soon discovered that if they didn’t grow it themselves, the didn’t get any vegetables!

Potato Pete

Potato Pete was a fun character created by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.  He was created to inspire people to eat more potatoes and maintain their health during the Second World War.  

If you’d like to find out more about rationing and links to more recipes check out WW2 Ration Book Recipes.

What ingredients do I need to make Woolton Pizza Pie?

The ingredients are are all easily available and you may already have them in your fridge or larder. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients as you don’t need much of each of them. Here is what you need:

• oil
• milk
• water
• potatoes
• butter
• sugar
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt
• strong white (all purpose) flour
• fast action (instant) yeast
• turnip (swede)
• carrots
• cauliflower
• garlic
• sweet smoked paprika (pimenton)
• spring (green) onions
• parsley

Scroll to the end of this article to find the full recipe and all quantities of ingredients, with step-by-step photo instructions

Can I use different vegetables?

I’ve used the vegetables that were grown in quantity during WW2 and they are still easily available today. However, you can certainly substitute different vegetables.

Be aware that some vegetables such as courgettes and peppers roast more quickly than the root vegetables that I use in the recipe. You may need to adjust the roasting temperatures and be careful that softer vegetables don’t burn when you bake the pizza.

What kind of oil should I use?

I use olive oil in the pizza base and also to roast the vegetables. However, you can use any vegetable oil such as sunflower oil or rape seed oil (canola).

What kind of potatoes should I use?

There are two different types of potatoes used in the Woolton Pizza Pie. You will need a potato suitable for mash such as Maris Piper, Rooster or King Edward. The mashed potato is included in the pizza base and keeps it soft and moist.

You will also need some waxy new potatoes to include with the other vegetables for the topping. Potato varieties such as Charlotte or Jersey are suitable as they can be cut thinly and hold their shape well when roasted.

Different potatoes have different water content so your dough may be slightly wetter or dryer.  Use more or less flour until you have the correct consistency. 

What is fast action yeast?

Yeast has been used in cooking for thousands of years in cooking to make bread rise, make alcohol and even to provide a nutritional supplement.

Fast Action Yeast is also known as Instant Yeast, ‘Bread-maker yeast’ or ‘Easy bake yeast’.  This yeast has very small granules and it requires no pre-activating before working with it. You can also use it in a bread maker, unlike dried active yeast which will not rise properly. 

Fast Action Yeast is also useful for baking when you have less time available, as it takes less time to rise. It also keeps well.

I don’t have fast action yeast, can I use other types of yeast?

Yes, you can use other types of yeast. Use this Yeast Conversion Table to get the correct amount for your baking.

Can I make pizza dough without yeast?

If you don’t have yeast or don’t want to wait for the dough to rise, use a scone dough base like this Scone Dough Pizza from Nicola at Something Sweet, Something Savoury. 

Can I make Woolton Pizza Pie ahead of time?

You can roast the vegetables and par-boil the new potatoes ahead of time. You can then store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to make the pizza base and bake the pizza.

Can I freeze Woolton Pizza Pie?

You could freeze this pizza but I wouldn’t recommend it, as the roasted vegetables will lose their texture. You could freeze the pizza base however it would need to defrost and then be left to rise. As the time that that would take is for this is about the same as making it from scratch I don’t think it’s really worth it.

Vegetarian

During WW2 meat was rationed and in limited supply, so plant based recipes became much more popular. This pizza is a perfect example of this and is perfect as a meat-free meal.

Gluten Free

The pizza base contains wheat flour. I have not tested this recipe with gluten free flour, however you can substitute your favourite GF pizza base and add the vegetable topping.

For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

How should I serve Woolton Pizza Pie?

I like to garnish the pizza with some fresh chopped parsley and spring onions on top. This helps to lift the flavours and add a fresh crunch. Serve the pizza warm with a salad of leaves, cucumber. celery and grated carrot.  

You can also serve this pizza at room temperature, it makes a good addition to a picnic or as part of a packed lunch.  

More WW2 Vegetable Recipes

Chunky Vegetable Soup (WW2 Ration Recipe)

A simple tasty and nutritious soup using common vegetables grown in the gardens and allottments in Britain duirng WW2.

Check out this recipe

Cheesy Parsnip Gratin

Cheesy Parsnip Gratin is a delicious savoury side dish of mashed parsnips flavoured with cheese and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. This is my adaptation of a WW2 ration recipe that is very easy to make and ideal to serve with your Sunday roast.

Check out this recipe

PIN FOR LATER

Woolton Pizza Pie (Roast Vegetable)

Janice Pattie

Woolton Pizza Pie is a roasted vegetable pizza on a light fluffy potato bread base. It's my update on Woolton Pie which is one of the most famous British wartime rationing recipes.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe BookmarkSaved!

Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine British

Servings 6

Calories 393 kcal

Ingredients

For the base

• 270 grams (2 cups) strong white flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon fast action yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon milk
• 115 grams (½ cups) mashed Maris Piper potatoes
• 60 millilitres (¼ cups) water

For the topping

• 6 (6) new potatoes
• ½ small swede rutabaga
• 2 carrots
• ½ medium cauliflower
• 5 cloves garlic skins on
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika pimenton
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To garnsih

• 2 tablespoon finely chopped spring onions
• 50 grams (¼ cups) finely chopped parsley

Instructions

 

• Put 270 grams (2 cups) strong white (all purpose) flour in a large bowl. Add 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 2 tsps fast action yeast. Make sure to keep the salt and yeast away from each other.
• Add the olive oil, butter, milk and potatoes and mix.
• Add the water a little at a time until you have a smooth, soft dough.
• Tip the dough onto an oiled surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth. Leave to rise until doubled in size.
• When the dough is rising, prepare the vegetables.
• Heat the oven to 180C
• Parboil the potatoes until tender but not fully cooked, leave to cool.
• Slice the swede and carrots very thinly, I used a mandoline
• Slice the cauliflower florets slightly more thickly or they will disintegrate
• Place the swede, carrots, and cloves of garlic in roasting tin with the oil and sprinkle with the paprika, mix together so the oil and paprika cover the vegetables.
• Roast for 10 minutes until the vegetables start to soften, then add the cauliflower, mix it in with the oil and other vegetables and roast for another 5 minutes.
• Remove and leave to cool.

To assemble

• The dough is quite soft, so using oiled hands, press it into a circle on your baking tray.  Cover with cling film and leave to rise again for 30 minutes. 
• Squeeze the softened garlic from the roasted garlic cloves and spread over the dough.
• Place the swede around the edge, overlapping the slices Place the carrots in circles from the inner edge of the swede to the centre of the pizza Slice the potatoes and make a circle as shown above Fill the centre with the roasted cauliflower florets, adding a single carrot slice in the centre if liked. 
• Bake at 200C for 20-30 minutes until the base is golden brown if the vegetables start to brown to quickly, cover with a piece of foil. Serve hot from the oven sprinkled with parsley and spring onions.

Notes

Serve warm with a salad of leaves, cucumber. celery and grated carrot. Woolton Pizza is also very good cold.

Substitutions:

Use any vegetables you have to hand to add to the potatoes on this pizza. 

If you don’t have yeast or don’t want to bake with yeast, Make a scone pizza dough using self-raising flour and baking powder.

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 10gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 471mgPotassium: 858mgFiber: 7gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 4401IUVitamin C: 62mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 4mg

Don’t Miss My Latest RecipesCLICK TO SUBSCRIBE NOW to join my newsletter list & receive a FREE ‘How To Adapt Recipes For Your Slow Cooker’ printable!

Share by Email

First published May 2015.