Pizza as we know it today originated in southwest Italy's Campania region, home to the city of Naples, around the 18th or early 19th century. Sounds quite fancy, doesn't it?

Well, it has certainly developed over time into something, let's say, less exotic.

Pizza is undisputedly one of the most popular foods in the world, especially in countries like America where it is one of the top three most requested things on the menu.

It is a cheap and easy dish to conjure up and has countless variations and combinations (despite Italian protests), making it the ideal staple on most menus.

From the classic Margherita to the contentious Hawaiian, everyone has a preference for their favourite cheesy frisbee,

In terms of price, pizza is completely sporadic. You can buy one in a supermarket for under a pound, in a restaurant for around £10, or one from a takeaway for £20. Almost all follow the same basic principles as well.

This is where the quality of the pizza plays a huge part, but with the cost of living crisis in full swing, no one can really be affording £20 pizzas all the time, can they?

So, let me segway into the next best thing: supermarket pizzas.

Don't turn your nose up just yet. I found some brilliant alternatives that scratch that Dominoes or Pizza Hut itch beautifully, some pizzas, on the other hand, well we'll get to those.

Supermarkets like Asda make fresh pizzas to take away and these are also really good alternatives when you're on a tight budget. But frozen pizzas are the cheapest and best for saving for a rainy day (or National Pizza Day, today).

So, to find out which is truly the best supermarket frozen pizza I went out and bought seven to test.

Which kind? Well, I would've gone Hawaiian but foresaw the swam of "I stopped reading at Hawaiian" comments, so I played it safe with pepperoni.

Pineapple belongs on pizza and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. Yeah, yeah you there, grow up.

I actually really like pepperoni in all fairness so wasn't too fussed all things considered.

As all the pizzas come in different shapes and sizes, I'll be reviewing them alone on merit.

Hexham Courant: (From top to bottom) Aldi essential, Aldi Carlos, M&S Salami Napoli, Tesco's Ristorante, Tesco's everyday essential, Goodfellas and Chicago Town.(From top to bottom) Aldi essential, Aldi Carlos, M&S Salami Napoli, Tesco's Ristorante, Tesco's everyday essential, Goodfellas and Chicago Town. (Image: Newsquest)

Tesco double thin double pepperoni pizza - £1.65

8/10

I'd heard wonderful things about Tesco's pizza offerings and I must admit, they were all right. For the price you really can't go wrong with this basic take.

The cheese melted perfectly and cascaded over the blend of small and large pepperoni as the Napolitano's of old would've wanted.

A very, very strong start.

Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pepperoni Salame Pizza - £3

3/10

I know this pizza well and have always despised it but in the interest of fairness, I thought I'd give it another crack.

It had absolutely zero crust, it was thinner than my hairline, and it had terrible cheese proportions. The Ristorante also had a strange amount of herbs scattered over the top that left a bitter aftertaste.

In one bite - true to Dave Portnoy form - the entire upper layer fell off straight away. Not for me.

Recommended reading: 

Aldi Everyday Essentials - 97p

8/10

The box looked really plain and tacky so I didn't have high hopes for this but my word, for 97p I couldn't believe it.

It wasn't the biggest but my word it was one of the best tasting. It gets an 8/10 purely for the taste and that price. Excellent amount of pepperoni, a good amount of cheese and a solid crust for a small pizza.

Stock up whilst you still can. 

M&S Salami Napoli - £4.50

4/10

A real disappointment. I'd heard bad things and had hoped they were simply malicious rumours after double-taking at the receipt, but sadly, no.

M&S usually holds itself to such an excellent standard but this pizza was just pretentious and overpriced. The crust was massive, basically half the slice, and just like the Ristorante the entire top layer fell off in one bite.

Mark and Spencer, do better lads!

Chicago Town - £3.49

6/10

We're entering the big brand territory now.

This made Steven Seagal's films look like dated BBC period dramas, it was that cheesy.

Ok, it might've been my fault for buying the extra cheese crust but that was the only one I could find. Does Chicago Town even do normal crust anymore?

If I'm honest, I couldn't finish this, the sheer amount of dairy gave me a headache from the first bite so I skipped the last. At your own risk.

Hexham Courant: (Top row left to right) Cheap Tesco, Ristorante, Chicago Town, Goodfellas (Bottom row left to right) Aldi essentials, M&S Napoli, Aldi Carlos(Top row left to right) Cheap Tesco, Ristorante, Chicago Town, Goodfellas (Bottom row left to right) Aldi essentials, M&S Napoli, Aldi Carlos (Image: Newsquest)

Aldi's Carlos pizza - £2.25

7/10

Aldi, for once, hasn't taken home the top prize. However, you really can't complain about the size as it was as large as the two other big brands and for an excellent price.

Between this and the next pizza, it certainly looked the best.

However, it was so greasy. I mean dripping in the stuff.

It tasted nice but the grease was a slight put off I must admit. You'll enjoy it, but you'll have a mess to clean up after I can guarantee.

Goodfellas - £4.25

9/10

I got this in Tesco and was pretty shocked by the price, but it certainly warrants it. Honestly, wow, it was the best-looking and nicest tasting by some distance.

I didn't eat all the pizzas in one because I value my arteries - one slice per box was enough - but I have to admit I wanted to wolf this down in one it was that good.

Pricey, yes, but still a heck of a lot less than £20 Dominoes pizzas.

If you want to get the best frozen, be a wise guy and buy Goodfellas.