A pizza every two minutes – Success for Barrow’s Peace and Loaf

A Barrow couple who put everything into their dream of running a sourdough pizzeria are celebrating their most successful spell yet.
Partners Lucas Hogg and Caroline Davis were already well known for their freshly baked bread through Peace and Loaf, but it is their sourdough pizzas that have been drawing crowds to their Barrow base. The February reopening of their dedicated dine in pizzeria has pushed sales up by 450 percent compared with their early days.
Caroline said they had only pennies left after investing in the work needed to make the pizzeria a reality, but were willing to take the risk. She said their focus had always been on real bread and quality ingredients, and they now work with Italian suppliers who deliver mozzarella and fresh burrata every week. Support from the local community and visitors from further afield has exceeded their expectations.
Peace and Loaf began more than ten years ago as a bread stall on Barrow Market. The couple moved to a unit at the Trinity Enterprise Centre six years ago and, with help from a loan from not for profit lender Enterprise Answers, bought their first wood fired pizza oven. The pandemic hit the business hard, but takeaway pizzas kept them going and helped spread the word.
After momentum continued to build, they made the bold decision in 2023 to focus entirely on pizza. Early on, they made around sixty pizzas a week, offering only Saturday dine in. Following a full revamp of the pizzeria, they now produce about 330 pizzas each week across Thursday, Friday and Saturday, averaging a pizza every two minutes.
Lucas said they had been chasing a dream that at times felt out of reach, but with support along the way, particularly from Enterprise Answers, they now feel they are well on track. He said the lender helped secure their first oven and provided honest guidance that made an overwhelming process far smoother.
Enterprise Answers chief executive Grahame Latus said Lucas and Caroline’s journey shows what determination and passion can achieve. He said the organisation exists to support businesses like Peace and Loaf, and seeing them thrive and create a vibrant destination for Barrow is exactly why they do their work.