Use dry wood or pellets specifically intended for pizza ovens. Oak is a classic: it burns long, produces plenty of heat, and adds a subtle smoky flavour. Fruit wood such as apple or cherry works well too if you want a slightly sweeter smoke. What you absolutely want to avoid is wet wood, chipboard, or treated or varnished wood. These produce toxic fumes and your oven won't thank you for it either. High-quality pellets are a great alternative if you'd rather not haul large logs around.

This is where people go wrong. They see flames and think: we're ready. Not quite. A wood-fired pizza oven typically needs 20 to 45 minutes to truly reach temperature, depending on the model and the outside temperature. Patience is the most important technique you can master here. Keep adding fresh logs as the fire dies down. The goal is a continuous, steady fire — not a bonfire.

The thermometer on your oven measures the air temperature, but the stone itself can still be cold. And a cold stone is exactly why your base won't come out crispy. Measure the stone temperature with an infrared thermometer. For a true Neapolitan pizza you want 380 to 430 degrees Celsius on the stone. For other styles of pizza — a thick dough base, for example — 280 to 320 degrees can work perfectly well. Either way, don't start baking until the stone is up to temperature.

After use, let the oven cool down completely before closing or covering it. Don't speed this up with water — the rapid temperature change will damage the stone or the ceramic. Once the oven is cold, brush the stone clean with a stiff brush. No water on the stone, and no soap. The extreme temperatures take care of bacteria and food residue themselves by burning them away. Once cooled, simply remove the wood ash.