A little pepperoni on the side

A Vespa-powered sidecar outfit built in Britain by Watsonian for James and Thom Elliot, the founders of Pizza Pilgrims, is heading for the home of the bready, cheesy comestible.

Following their first pizza pilgrimage in a three-wheeled Piaggio Ape van in 2011, restaurateurs Thom and James decided to embark on a new adventure last year to celebrate the 10th birthday of their first UK pizzeria. The brothers visited Watsonian Sidecars and asked it to build an outfit that could carry a passenger, but which could also convert into a working pizza kitchen when parked.

“Since the company was founded in 1912, we’ve built thousands of tradesmen’s outfits for all sorts of jobs, including ice cream sellers, milkmen and even firemen,” said Watsonian managing director Ben Matthews. “A tiny pizzeria is definitely a first and something totally unexpected.”

An Italian Vespa GTS300 scooter has been fitted with a Watsonian Grand

Prix sidecar bodyshell and a restaurantgrade portable pizza oven. To transport ingredients, a specially-designed box was fitted over the sidecar boot.

Solid oak worktops were then fitted on top of the box. These fold out over the passenger cockpit, providing plenty of workspace when cooking. Finally, bespoke carriers for the pizza peel and cutter were bolted onto the sidecar.

In July 2023, James and Thom set out on a whistlestop 10-day trip to

Italy in the Pizza Vespa, visiting icons of the Neapolitan pizza scene, as well as suppliers and friends they’ve made over the last 10 years. You can follow the combo’s progress on their Pizza Pilgrims YouTube channel.