Mother & Wild in Corsham is a place that has been on my list of places to visit for quite some time and it was almost by accident rather than design that I found myself dining here this week with close family.

We were just looking for some food, something to keep us sustained and we had in mind a pizza so when we remembered Mother & Wild was around the corner and recalled that they slung a pie or two we headed along the side street to see if we could find a slice

Mother & Wild describe themselves as ‘a neighborhood cafe‘ proudly saying that “we cook food that we love” and when it comes to pizza they tell us that they ‘cook sourdough pizza in our wood fired brick oven, Neopolitan style at extreme hear delivering crisp pillowy crusts, with spots of char‘ just as I like them then 😍

PIZZA MENU

The pizza menu at Mother & Wild reads very well, the descriptions sound quite posh but when you dig a little deeper you can pick out the classic flavours and toppings that you know and love sitting alongside some really quite intriguing and delicious sounding combinations.

First thoughts were that this is going to be an interesting meal, the quality of the ingredients shines through as you read and it was really hard to pick out just one pizza to eat. So I didn’t I picked two share as you do, or at least as I do.

I was picking based on favorite flavours so chose ones topped with Pepperoni and Pork or to be as decriptive as Mother & Wild topped with Cobble Lane Beef Pepperoni, and Tuscan Pork & Fennel Ragu

For the record the ‘one that got away’ this time was the ‘Creamed Spinach, fior di latte, free range egg and prosciutto’ simply because I am total slut for an egg on a pizza and usually unable to resist the runny yolk mixed with my crust!

COBBLE LANE BEEF PEPPERONI

First bite for me was of the Pepperoni pizza all pimped up here at Mother & Wild listed as ‘Cobble Lane Beef Pepperoni, chilli, Stills honey, fior di Latte‘

In the past I would have been concerned about a combination of chilli and honey with my pizza but it seems to be a popular mix at the moment as I have tried it at a number of other pizza resturants.

Here it was sublime, they have somehow managed to harmoniously blend the sweetness of the honey and the heat of the chilli so that they become one joyful taste on the tongue without either overpowering the other. I don’t know how they tempered the spice and the sweet but I was very glad that they had

The pepperoni was very tasty, hints of paprika and a strong beefy meat flavour. There was just enough of it on the pizza to allow it to star yet not too much so that it allowed the rest of the pizza to shine too.

I enjoyed the Fior di Latte cheese, it was creamy, slightly elastic, more tangy than salty and went well with the sweet fresh tasting tomato sauce spread on the base of the pizza

The crust was great, soft and chewy, perhaps a little wide at the sides without toppings and perhaps I should have chosen some dips to make it more interesting as I got to the end of the meal and was left with more crust than topping

TUSCAN PORK & FENNEL RAGU

The second pizza I shared was the one topped with Tuscan pork & fennel ragu, tenderstem, N’duja, fior di latte, this sounded good and it helped that it came on advisement from our server who told us it was her favorite.

Never turn down a recommendation I say! It was already high on the list of ones to choose so win win (I hoped)

This pizza was a ‘white’ pizza, that is to say one without a tomato base sauce, so is quite a different experience to eat and one that relies upon the quality and taste of the other toppings to make it interesting.

I was intrigued by the Tuscan pork & fennel ragu element of the dish, it was quite restrained in application so didn’t interfere with the other elements on the dish. The pork and fennel in the sausage meat paired perfectly and with hints of garlic made excellent bedfellows.

The Nduja crumbled in and amongst the cheese added a little bit of spice, it was also used sparingly which might be a good thing as it is known for it fiery nature and in this case ‘a little less is more’

The wild card on the pizza was the tenderstem broccoli, more stem than floret, it adds a totally different dimension to the experience. Personnally I love this vegetable and grow loads of it in my allotment but I had never considered it before to be part of the pizza topping family.

I have been swayed as that solid crunch adds a well meaning texture and a bit of freshness. Here at Mother and Wild they had let it char nicely so you also got a bit more complexity to the normal flavour of the vegetable, I read it is the maillard reaction or summat 😎

Once again this was an excellent pizza, exceptionally well balanced and for me quite thought provoking as regards my opinions and belief of what a classic pizza should be, I have been convinced and assuaged.

SORT OF A MARGHERITA PIZZA

The last, but by no means least, pizza on the table was the one topped with Collebianco buffalo mozzarella, tomato, and basil.

It was probably the simplest on the menu perhaps akin to the classic Margherita pizza.

It might have sounded less exciting in comparison to the other flavour combinations and toppings on the menu but it was no shrinking violet at this pizza party.

The classic mix of mozzeralla, tomato and basil easily stood up alongside the other pizza on offer and would hold it’s own in any race to be the best pizza on the table.

If you just want a classic pizza cooked to perfection with excellent fresh tasting toppings and ingredients then look no further than this one.

I really liked my time here at Mother & Wild, excellent pizza alongside great company, always a winner.

We sat outside in the courtyard and it was very comfortable and relaxing, it looked a little more cosy within the restaurant and I guess on a less inclement evening we would have had to have retreated inside.

I was happy that we got to dine alfesco instead, but as I am keen to return next time I expect I will be dining indoors within the inner sanctum of the restuarant and pizzeria 😃

Mother & Wild are located at No.8 High Street, Corsham, SN13 OHB, in Wiltshire. You can read their menus on their website and get a look at some of their delicious food through their social media on their Instagram Profile and Facebook page

It is a lovely little local cafe and pizzeria and well worth checking out if you are in the area

SUPPLIERS LIST (for interest)

Inside the cafe on the wall is a board listing all the suppliers that they use for sourcing the food. I love stuff like this as it is always good to know where your meal comes from and it sometimes gives me ideas of places to shop as well when I am in the area looking for good people and good food

Locally I like that they name the local butcher Tony Haynes. I was peering in the window earlier in the day as I passed by.

Rye bakery from nearby Frome, Longmans Cheese in Yeovil, Somerset Charcuterie, Sandbridge Farm in Chippenham, and Sharpham Park are also added to my evergrowing supplier list too

I already knew about Cobble Lane and their charcuterie but it was good to hear some more names