Just as we are alleged to have reached ‘peak beard’ (see our piece on this month’s Beard Festival on Page 33), Oxford cannot be too far off ‘peak pizza’.

Not so long ago, it was a real mission to find a quality pizzeria. We used to travel far and wide to find a pie with that perfect bite – moist but not soggy, firm but not crunchy and loaded with quality toppings rather than the industrially-processed stuff heaped on by low-grade takeaways and chain franchises.

No more though. Every other pub and cafe, it seems, has a pizza oven and is lovingly serving up slices of cheesy heaven to insatiable pizza-holics. With that in mind, I returned to a place which set the bar in quality pizza making and was, for ages, the go-to spot for a mozzarella fix: Mamma Mia.

Calling into the South Parade restaurant at 9pm on Saturday, to collect my order, I expected to find the place heaving. It was almost empty, though I was assured it had been busier earlier. Is it a casualty of the pizza glut? I do hope not, because Mamma Mia is not only one of the first, but (along with the formidable White Rabbit in town) is certainly the best.

My pizza ai funghi (£10.95) was divine – and pretty close to perfection. A thin, firm base (it’s all about that base!), was generously scattered with three varieties of mushroom: portabello, chestnut and good old button, all sautéed in tarragon. It was topped with crumbled goats cheese and peppery rocket. Simple but effective. Anything else, save for a drizzle of chilli oil and a scoop of parmesan, would have spoiled it.

It was satisfying without being heavy, and went well with a couple of glasses (okay, a bottle...) of Côtes du Rhône Villages picked up from a certain supermarket around the corner.

It was good to see the place also serving up gluten-free bases, though I’ve heard reports of confused labelling, so keep an eye on that if it’s important to you.

For the rest of us, this pizza veteran offers peak perfection.

Mamma Mia, 8 South Parade, Oxford mammamiapizzeria.co.uk