This pizza recipe from Max Wiseberg, an airbone allergies expert and HayMax barrier balm creator, brings together a collection of hay fever-friendly fruits and vegetables to create a final product that’s both tasty and soothing.

While raw tomatoes can be a trigger for oral allergy syndrome, in their cooked form they’re much less likely to be a problem, and their high vitamin C content (another natural anti-histamine) makes them powerful for fighting reactions to pollen.

The red onions and garlic in the passata are both packed full of quercetin, another anti-inflammatory and natural antihistamine, with red onions boasting the highest amount. Pineapple, on the other hand, is famed for its hay fever-fighting properties; not only is it high in vitamin C, but it contains an enzyme called bromelain, which has strong anti-inflammatory properties. Bromelain also improves the absorption of quercetin, so combining these two types of foods together increases the benefits.

The dairy-free nature of the pizza also prevents any mucus buildup triggered by dairy consumption, which can worsen symptoms.

Ingredients

For the base:

350g strong wholemeal bread flour
7g sachet of dried yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
200ml warm water

For the topping:

6 tbsp tomato passata (make your own by blending tomatoes with a little crushed garlic, chopped basil and ground black pepper)
150g dairy-free ‘cheese’ or tofu (use fresh tofu instead of fermented tofu to avoid high histamine content)
3 medium-sized tomatoes
1 large red onion
1 yellow pepper
3 slices pineapple (fresh or tinned, but make sure to get as much of the core as possible as this is where the bromelain is found)
3 cloves of garlic
Fresh basil leaves
Baby spinach leaves to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180ºC Fan).

2. Mix the base ingredients together. Tip the dough onto a floured board and knead for about five minutes. Put in a clean bowl, cover and leave to rest until it doubles in size (about an hour).

3. Divide the dough into three pieces and roll each into a round pizza shape, approximately 20cm in diameter. Put on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the edges start to brown.

4. Remove the outer skin of the onion and deseed the yellow pepper. Slice the British tomatoes and chop the red onion, yellow pepper and pineapple to desired size.

5. Spread two tablespoons of tomato passata on each pizza base, and divide the chopped ingredients evenly between the three pizzas. Crush the garlic and sprinkle over each pizza. Sprinkle a few fresh basil leaves onto each and put in the oven for about 5-10 minutes.

6. Meanwhile grate the ‘cheese’ or chop the tofu. Remove the pizzas from the oven and sprinkle over the ‘cheese’ or tofu. Return to the oven for two-three minutes until the ‘cheese’ begins to melt.

7. To serve, add some freshly ground black pepper and a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves.

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