From plastering to pizzas: The Ludlow girls making a success of food business

And, in this case, we're not just talking about different types of pizza toppings.

Instead, we're talking about how Ludlow's Pizza Girls – Angela Twigg and Sara Thomas – have enjoyed careers full of variety.

The pair are making a real mark in business, at pop-ups around Ludlow, including the famous town brewery and village halls, as well as events like the Shrewsbury Flower Show.

But making pizzas – now something they simply love – wasn’t always their calling.

Both have shone in other ways, succeeding in everything they have done.

For example, Angela’s background was in theatre, running a community group – Integreat Theatre.

The theatre group aims to break down barriers and bridge the gap between deaf and hearing communities through performance and drama and promoting the use of sign language.

Sara does have a background as a trained chef, having previously worked for the Forte Group in places such as Stratford, Windsor and London, as well working in Spain.

The pair first worked together when they set up a carpentry business called Hammered ‘n’ Plastered.

“It was great to have a change of direction,” says Sara. “For me, I have always liked doing very practical things where you do something and can then see an end result."

"Sara and I were DIY fanatics and did a woodwork course,” adds Angela.

“We started doing plastering as a hobby but we then found, particularly a lot of older women, wanted us to go and do work for them. We ended up setting up an award-winning business and one that thrived. I feel we have shown we can turn anything we do into a positive story.”

Health issues led to the pair bringing an end to Hammered ‘n’ Plastered but that was not the end of the story.

The pair, with a bright pink horse box, have continued their success story with The Pizza Girls, wowing people around the town with their delicious food, after setting up four years ago.

“It started as just a hobby really,” says Angela. “We lived in Clee Hill and had lots of clay in the garden.

“We always wanted a pizza oven as Sara had been a chef and so went to the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales and built one!

“We paid £90 and you can do a course and build an oven out of clay for your garden, which is what we did.

“After that, we would ask lots of different friends around and would cook and trial different pizzas.”

The response was overwhelmingly positive. The local pub, the Bennett’s End Inn, then invited the pair to make pizzas.

“We advertised it to people in the pub and had 100 people come,” Angela reflects.

“We launched it there and it became so popular and we turned it into a business.”

They were originally called Mother Earth Pizza but, Angela remembers: “Every time people in Ludlow saw us, they would just say ‘there are the pizza girls!’ And so it stuck. We changed our name and rebranded. It was risky but we went big. We got a horsebox and made it pink and we had a bespoke, pink and sparkly pizza oven. We launched at Ludlow Brewery and things grew.

“We really took off in Covid. We thought outside the box and set up in car parks during lockdown and had 15-minute time slots that people would pre-book. It made us take off and we became more popular.”

Now the pair are well known across the town, travelling to different locations and events.

“We just love it,” Angela enthuses. “We get invited to people’s parties to serve pizzas and it’s great. It hardly feels like work really!

“We just have fun and I do silly TikTok dances sometimes to entertain people. I love a little boogie!”

“I think we just love meeting people,” continues Sara. “It is hard work and long hours, the preparation before and packing away after.

“But it’s rewarding. People seem to love our pizzas which is good and we have a great following. We can’t thank them enough really.”

Angela adds: “We change the menu now and again, adding specials, but meat feast, peperoni, ham and pineapple are always popular."

“We have people travel to us from various places and we have even had someone come from Devon just to get a pizza!”

The pair are set for another busy year with events such as the Ludlow Spring Festival and the Ludlow Food Festival to come, as well as a raft of special occasions such as weddings and parties.

“It’s great because we have so many happy events to be a part of,” Sara concludes. “We are looking forward to what will hopefully be another great year.”

It should be one full of variety too, fitting in with the duo’s rich and rewarding lives.