Those of us who live here know that Leeds is an epic city that is fast becoming the epicentre of all things food related (at least north of London). It was no surprise then that MOD Pizza decided to launch their first UK store here and we were lucky enough to be invited down to catch the opening!

While sadly we missed the fanfare of the actual opening (trying to get somewhere on time with a 10 month old can sometimes be a challenge!), we did get there for about five minutes after MOD had officially opened and were delighted to see that it was already buzzing with activity and excitement. Perhaps the free pizza on the day had something to do with this. After surveying the scene, grabbing a voucher that entitled me to a free pizza and joining the queue, I was in with the chance to get to grips with what MOD is all about.

First off, it’s all about choice at MOD. Imagine Subway but with pizza! With a wide range of pizza and salad ideas to choose from or the opportunity to go fully off piste and start from scratch there really is no excuse for people to say they don’t do a pizza they like.

What’s more, the staff were friendly, quick and kept me informed as to where they were in the process of getting my pizza made – reassuring when you have no idea about the concept of a new restaurant.

Deciding to go off piste and make my own with a cheese and tomato base followed by pepperoni, sausage, chicken and a whole range of veg and lashings of mozzarella, I was satisfied with the look of my pizza before it was popped in the oven.

Grabbing my seat, the staff were attentive in getting my little girl a high chair and bringing out my pizza when it was done. Some rather thick and OTT but divine vanilla milkshake kept us busy, especially after my little one managed to get her hands on a fair amount of milkshake that was definitely not intended for her!

When the pizza turned up, it looked good: not greasy, not burnt, and not looking like it had been made hours ago and had been left to fester. Taste-wise, all the ingredients hit the spot and for a pizza that makes no claims to be a gourmet high end option you could have no complaints, especially given that for about £8 you can get a pizza with as many toppings on as you like.

All in all, MOD looks like it should do well in the UK. Suitable for families, people wanting a relaxing place to eat decent food and just those hankering for a slice (or two) of pizza before going bowling or watching a film could do far worse than trying out MOD.