The Old Kennels, situated on the outskirts of Cirencester Park in the Cotswolds has welcomed a new addition to its growing foodie scene with the launch of a brand-new pizzeria.
Cattivo, which translates to ‘Bad Boys’ in Italian, upholds traditional Neapolitan pizza-making techniques to craft simple, high-quality pizza bases with ingredients that celebrate seasonality and origin.
The concept of Cattivo was conceived by old school friends, Toby Baggott and Sam Lawson-King, who jointly own and operate Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden at the Old Kennels. They have collaborated with one of the UK’s most esteemed chefs and restaurateurs, Mike Robinson.
A long-time advocate of sustainable wild food and game, Mike has contributed to the creation and management of some of the nation’s most iconic restaurants, including the Harwood Arms in Fulham, London, which has held onto its Michelin Star for over 14 years and remains the only pub in London to do so.
Mike also supervises The Woodsman in Stratford-upon-Avon and The Elder in Bath and co-owns Deer Box, which oversees, harvests, processes and sells mail order wild venison to the public and top-tier restaurants across the UK.
Mike will collaborate closely with Sam and Toby to nurture and evolve Cattivo, not least because he shares their passion for local provenance. Currently, Mike is focusing on recipe development for the Cattivo pizza menus, emphasising simplicity, seasonality, and flavour.
Cattivo’s pizza dough, handcrafted using specialist pizza flour from local mill Matthews Cotswold Flour, form the base for its 24-hour slow fermented Biga (an Italian yeast starter). This method of preferment ensures a slower fermentation, resulting in a firmer texture and a delightful nutty flavour.
All pizzas are cooked in Cattivo’s newly installed Gozney wood-fired pizza oven, heated to 450C using dry-aged oak sourced from the neighbouring Bathurst estate.
The menu offers just six classic (two meat, two veg and one fish-based, plus one seasonally changing) 12” Neapolitan-style, sourdough pizzas garnished with the best locally sourced, foraged and home-grown produce. Ingredients include honey from Mike’s own hives and his home-made venison N’duja, using deer raised on the neighbouring Bathurst estate. Other locally sourced ingredients include Glastonbury Fior di Latte Mozzarella, foraged herbs and freshly picked produce from Roots + Seeds’ own ¼ acre on-site kitchen garden.
In addition to local produce, Cattivo utilise top-quality Italian ingredients such as Mutti Passata, Burrata, aged Parmesan cheeses, Single Estate Extra Virgin olive oil and San Marzona tomatoes for its homemade pizza sauce.
The menu also offers a choice of two dips and two desserts, including Nonna’s Tiramisu and Panozzo (a pizza sandwich) with Nutella, wood roasted fig and peaches served with homemade Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream.
The award-winning pizzaiolo, Francesco Fotia, is the mastermind behind Cattivo’s fantastic pizzas. A pizzaiolo is a chef trained in crafting authentic Italian-style pizzas, and every pizza at Cattivo is made to order.
The drinks menu features two pre-made and bottled cocktails crafted in-house by drinks expert Sam Lawson-King, including a Spicy Margherita and an Old Fashioned. There’s also a small but carefully selected wine list featuring independent Italian wines available by the glass or bottle, as well as locally brewed beers, ales, and soft drinks – all stored in Cattivo’s self-service fridge.
This marks the first time Mike has embarked on such a straightforward dining venture, and it’s right in his hometown of Cirencester. Mike, Sam, and Toby aim to make everything at Cattivo centred around the produce.
“I’m so excited to be working with Sam and Toby on Cattivo and partnering with incredible local suppliers to help make Cattivo’s sourdough pizzas the very best in the Cotswolds,” said Mike Robinson.
In line with Roots +Seeds’ sustainability ethos, all pizzas are served in cardboard boxes, and all plates, cutlery, napkins, bottles, drinking straws and paper menus are recyclable.
All Cattivo Pizzas are priced between £14 and £16, with orders taken at the counter. No bookings or phone orders are accepted.
“We are incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in the 12 months since opening our restaurant and kitchen garden and are incredibly excited about our collaboration with Mike Robinson for the next step in our hospitality journey,“ says Toby Baggott.
Starting their culinary voyage with the Scenic Supper, which provided socially-distanced fine dining in five greenhouses amidst the Cotswolds’ fields after the first covid lockdown, Toby and Sam have come a long way. It’s been four years since they embarked on this innovative dining concept.
This Easter marked the opening of their new venture, Roots + Seeds, which continues their commitment to farm-to-fork dining. More than just exceptional food, it’s about forging community ties and crafting an enjoyable, family-friendly atmosphere that honours the extraordinary produce cultivated both in their quarter-acre on-site kitchen garden and sourced from their outstanding suppliers situated within a 25-mile radius.
Cattivo is set within a newly constructed, architecturally striking, and sun-drenched spacehome to 40 interior covers and further seating on its exterior terrace. The design boasts high vaulted ceilings, stylish industrial fixtures, communal trestle tables with bench-style seating, all bathed in the glorious natural light streaming through expansive floor-to-ceiling windows.
