A BUSINESS hopes to defend its crown in an upcoming food competition.

Hexham's Fire & Dough will compete against other food venues at Wylam Brewery's annual festival, Slice Wars.

Slice Wars is an annual event at the Palace of Arts Exhibition Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, that combines pizza and Star Wars in an epic food battle.

It is free entry, and no ticket is required, but the pizza tokens are £4.

Fire & Dough's pizzas triumphed over other North East vendors for two years in a row, earning the prestigious titles of people's choice and overall first-place winner - which they hope to achieve again this year.

The winning pizzas were MilFennelium Falcon, C3Pesto (vegan pizza), and Not the Droiduja Looking For.

This year, the event will be held on May 3 and 4 from midday until late, promising a lively atmosphere and a chance to taste some of the best slices in town.

Fire & Dough is known for selling Neapolitan-style pizza around Tyne Valley and was founded by Hexham residents and best friends John Nicholson and Ross Keady, who set it up in 2018.

The company later became a family affair as Ross’ sister, Erin Keady, joined the business.

Erin said: "[It's a] Big week of prep ahead for us but we are looking forward to it.

"We are excited to showcase our chosen pizzas and battle it out against the other traders.

"It is sure to be a fantastic event and one that we look forward to each year."