There is a long history of musicians turning their hands to the culinary arts. Kelis trained at Le Cordon Bleu, Loyle Carner opened his own cooking school, and Snoop Dogg’s enduring friendship with Martha Stewart is surely deserving of its own Hollywood buddy movie.
Joining the roll call is Nottingham duo Sleaford Mods. Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearne might be best known for their witty, politically charged electronic post-punk, but they recently put on their chef’s whites in a collab with Bologna-born pizzeria Berbere, channelling their energies into a limited-edition special: the Megaton. Featuring Berbere’s signature organic, 24-hour-proofed sourdough base topped with marinara sauce, garlic olive oil, semi-dried tomatoes, soy-marinated mushrooms, coriander salsa verde and jalapeno peppers, it’s a turbocharged creation deserving of its title. Londoners can order it from today until January 31 at each of Berbere’s London branches – Marylebone, Tottenham Court Road, Kentish Town and Clapham.
The Megaton is named after the band’s latest single. All profits from the track and £2 from each pizza will go to War Child, a charity supporting young people affected by conflict.
“War feels like a world away in many respects, but we are seeing so much of it cover the world,” Williamson tells Broadsheet. “Helping those kids destroyed by it through supporting an organisation that understands their needs has to be something.”
Williamson says the collaboration “felt right for me because [Berbere] are real. It’s not just about being Italian – it’s the care and love they throw into the food. Total bonus that they are fans, too.”
Berbere’s founders, brothers Matteo and Salvatore Aloe, said in a statement that they’ve been fans of the band since they saw them on an Italian tour in 2017. “Their raw, uncompromising approach to music resonates with how we think about food – challenging conventions and rejecting the norm.”
The musicians’ mission was to make “a rainbow of taste … the ingredients were decided on before we went down, but obviously the measure of each was tailored more specifically when we started tasting it,” Williamson says. “I really enjoyed it, to be honest. Chef was very accommodating and showed us the ropes. It was hard work!”
As for what the plant-based pizza says about the band? “We’re not cheesy,” Fearn quips.
The Megaton will be available from December 1 until January 31 at Berbere’s five London branches and on Deliveroo. It will also be available at Berbere’s 21 Italian pizzerias from January 5.
