Team behind Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden launch new Cotswolds pizza restaurant

Pizza lovers in the Cotswolds are in for a treat this August 2024, as the team behind Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden open a new pizzeria at The Old Kennels in Cirencester. 

Cattivo — which means 'bad boys' in Italian — is a collaboration between Roots + Seeds co-founders Toby Baggott and Sam Lawson King, and Mike Robinson of London's only Michelin-starred pub, The Harwood Arms, with Cattivo being his first venture in Gloucestershire, fittingly in his hometown. 

The Cattivo menu is small but specialist, offering six classic Neapolitan-style 12 inch pizzas cooked in a state-of-the-art Gozney wood-fired oven using kiln-dried oak from the Bathurst Estate. 

Cattivo's sourdough bases are made with specialist pizza flour from Matthews Cotswold Flour in Chipping Norton using a slow fermentation method for a firm texture and nutty flavour. 

Diners can choose from two meat, two veggie, one fish and one seasonal option, which champion local produce and ingredients sourced directly from Italy, each costing between £14 and £16. 

Some local ingredients include Mike's homemade venison N'duja using deer raised on the Bathurst Estate; honey from Mike's own hives; Fior di Latte mozzarella from Glastonbury; locally foraged herbs; and fresh produce grown in Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden — while authentic Italian ingredients include aged parmesan cheese; burrata; single estate extra virgin olive oil; and San Marzano tomatoes. 

Also on the menu are homemade crust dips and two desserts — Nonna's Tiramisu and a Panozzo 'pizza sandwich' stuffed with Nutella, wood-roasted figs and peaches and topped with homemade Madagascan vanilla ice cream.

To drink, pre-made bottled cocktails include a spicy margherita and an old fashioned, with a carefully curated Italian wine list and a 'help yourself' fridge stocked with beers, ales and soft drinks, too. 

Sustainability is also important to the business, so all pizza boxes, plates, glassware, straws, menus and serviettes are recyclable. 

Mike said: 'I’m so excited to be working with Sam and Toby on Cattivo and am very much looking forward to partnering with incredible local suppliers to help make Cattivo’s sourdough pizzas the very best in the Cotswolds.'

Cattivo officially opens to the public on Friday 2 August 2024 at 3pm. 

The restaurant doesn't take bookings, guests can just turn up and order — and dogs are welcome, too.