Every week, we take to the streets to unearth something being manufactured or produced right here in Islington. This week, we found grey pizza bases, a hip new hangover cure at Holloway Road pizzeria Zia Lucia...

Islington Gazette: Zia Lucia chef Mattia Cardonatto ready to cook a grey vegetable charcoal pizza. Picture: Polly HancockZia Lucia chef Mattia Cardonatto ready to cook a grey vegetable charcoal pizza. Picture: Polly Hancock (Image: Archant)

Walk down Holloway Road on a Friday or Saturday night and it’s not unusual to see a huge queue of people waiting to get into new pizza restaurant Zia Lucia.

This isn’t a pizzeria that follows convention. As well as traditional dough, Zia Lucia also gives customers the choice of vegetable charcoal, gluten-free and wholemeal doughs (this is Islington, after all).

The most popular, and eye-catching, is the vegetable option. With vegetable charcoal mixed into the flour, it is grey in colour with a smoky flavour – and apparently good for curing hangovers.

Claudio Vescovo, co-founder of Zia Luca, said: “Charcoal pizza has been a big trend in Italy for the last year. We thought it was tasty, so we decided to bring it here. These flours are a lot lighter and more digestible.”