We love a successful launch in the face of adversity, and The Cowshed in Hucknall, just north of Nottingham, is the best example we’ve heard of for a while.
First, a little about The Cowshed itself. Originally an abattoir, the building was a TV repair shop, then after lying empty for 2 years, Sarah Dawson and her team took possession of it. Despite the fact there were no water or waste services, just electricity, Sarah saw the potential and set about uncovering its attributes including a wonderful beamed roof under several layers of lowered ceilings.
The look they wanted was rustic and the pizza oven needed to fit the bill. Sarah scoured the internet for days and weeks in order to get the best wood-fired pizza oven possible. She deliberated, considered all options and decided on Fuego.
Having got in touch with Fuego, she was immediately impressed with Martin, one of our sales guys. He just got it straight away. He knew exactly what Sarah wanted to achieve and what The Cowshed needed to be.
Together, Martin and Sarah discussed the size of the oven The Cowshed required. They both knew that being in the middle of a town, it was important that the Fuego oven had Defra approval to meet their sustainability credentials. It did not disappoint.
“Martin and Fuego were brilliant. They understood us completely, helped us decide and kept us informed all along the way as to when it would arrive” enthused Sarah.
Enter Covid-19. Wallop!
Within a week of opening, The Cowshed went from being an uber cool venue with great food and live easy listening solo performers to being shut down.
Sarah and her team got smart though and immediately adapted. They knew that their Fuego wood-fired oven was capable of creating incredible pizzas in just 2 minutes and that they could offer a takeaway and delivery service for their delicious pizzas.
“Faced with this crisis, the Fuego wood-fired pizza oven helped our business keep going. To be honest, without it, we couldn’t have carried on.”
That’s actually an understatement because their reputation for incredible tasting pizzas rocketed and within just 2 days they we’re creating 90+ pizzas per session. The Cowshed’s pizza chefs did it right though. They got the menu right, the right ingredients, the dough right and the service bang on. The oven itself did the rest.
Rewinding though, how did The Cowshed go about choosing and getting their Fuego wood-fired pizza oven? Well, Sarah opted for a 4 pizza capacity Fuego Pro 90 oven with a simple render as it was hidden away.
After it arrived and was installed on its purpose-built brick base, Sarah and her team were immediately impressed with just how quickly it got to temperature. “We use oak logs to add flavour and within just 30 minutes, the oven was at temperature to bake pizzas. It cooked lightning quick and instilled a wonderfully smoky flavour.”
“I love the fact that Fuego offers something completely different. It’s the best purchase I could have made. It performs wonders and has carried my business though the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“Our Fuego wood oven has transformed our restaurant! As a piece of kit, it is extremely versatile and controllable, allowing us to roast all of our meats and vegetables in the wood burning oven as well as using it as a charcoal grill during service. The flavour of everything coming out of the Fuego clay pizza oven is incredible due to the amazing smoky, charred tones added to the smell and taste of everything that’s cooked in it. It is not expensive to run as all the kiln-dried wood we use heats the wood fired pizza oven pretty quickly and it retains its temperature really well, only needing to add logs to the fire a few times over the course of service.”
“We wanted a traditional wood oven that ticked lots of boxes, for us it had to be made of brick for the authentic feel, have amazing functionality and great quality. Our Fuego clay pizza oven ticks them all. Our pizza nights are such a fantastic feature for the guests that stay in our holiday cottages and it’s a great way of bringing friends and family together for making those special memories. Highly recommended”
“The traditional methods used within its construction and the unrivalled ability to retain heat have thoroughly impressed us. It has been a welcome addition to our BBQ and live music events. We cannot recommend the Fuego brand enough and it has been extremely popular with our chefs and customers alike.”
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