Theo Randall is an extraordinary chef with a growing reputation for creating some of the most celebrated Italian cooking this country has ever seen; most recently recognised in September at the 2008 London Restaurant Awards where he won Italian Restaurant of the Year. Theo's pizzas at PizzaExpress provide the high street with a rare insight into his culinary genius.

The new pizzas are Theo's interpretation of PizzaExpress, and bring a fresh look and taste to the menu, characterised by their oval shape and inspired combination of ingredients. Theo's Gamberettini, for example, uses the same tiny brown shrimps he cooks with in his restaurant, fresh grated zucchini, parsley, lemon, grana padano and chilli, on a crème fraîche, tomato sauce base.

Theo said: "By replacing the classic mozzarella base with crème fraîche and tomato sauce, it creates a lighter flavour that complements the subtle taste of the shrimps."

All four pizzas will be cooked on a mesh screen so their bases are nice and crispy.

His belief pizza tastes best eaten with your hands means each of his pizzas will be served on a chic black board with a pizza cutter, relinquishing the need for a knife and fork.

From concept to table, the whole process has taken five months, a whirlwind affair that has engaged the whole company and included creating more than 20 different pizzas from which the four favourites were selected; food tastings with the PizzaExpress board; coaching 40 chef trainers and meeting more than 1,000 pizzaiolos (pizza chefs) from Inverness to Islington.

The collaboration has been a first of its kind for both Theo and PizzaExpress, and is based on a shared passion and respect for using fresh, great quality ingredients and simple Italian food.

Theo added: "I've been a fan of PizzaExpress since I was a kid.
"I grew up with the restaurants and now take my children there. When PizzaExpress asked me to create these pizzas, it was like being asked to record a track on an album of your favourite band. I jumped at the chance and have thoroughly enjoyed the journey."

PizzaExpress head chef Antonio Romani said: "We've been massive fans of Theo Randall since his days as head chef at the River Café so were thrilled when he agreed to make four pizzas for our autumn menu. He's engaged and inspired the whole company."