Sussex-based The Hearth has been picked from almost 2,000 pizzerias to take part in the London Pizza Festival.

It will take part in a competition with four others to be named best pizzeria at the festival on 5 June. The event is being held in London’s Borough Market to celebrate the publication of Daniel Young’s Where To Eat Pizza: The Experts’ Guide To The Best Pizza Places In The World.

The Hearth creates Neapolitan-style pizzas and loaves in wood-fired ovens at its Lewes, East Sussex, site, as well as serving customers coffee and cake at a downstairs café.

Michael Hanson, owner of The Hearth, said: “It was amazing to be included in the guide, and it’s absolutely fantastic to not only be part of the festival, but have a chance to be voted top pizzeria. It’s a real feather in the cap for the whole team, but especially my head baker Tamas Kerekgyarto, who produces our tasty, and unique, sourdough pizza bases using our own locally grown heritage flour.

“We’re taking our mobile wood-fired oven up, and we’ve got to make two pizzas, a vegetarian and meat option. We’re using a Sussex Blue from High Weald Dairy on the vegetarian option, and Sussex lamb from Stephen and Fizz Carr’s Sussex Ox Farm, on the meat one. And, fingers crossed, we’ll come up trumps.”