Two brothers with a passion for great food, are taking Glasgow's street food scene by storm by going out of their way to make incredible pizzas at affordable prices.
Ryan, 41, and Jay Bharaj, 39, took a leap of faith when they set out to establish their dream business, creating a street food pizza brand that's seen them never look back.
The duo, who both worked for years in hospitality and events, set about creating Dough Man's Land pizza from the back of a converted horse box after deciding to strike out on their own.
And they wanted to use a wood-fired oven to make their own style of delicious pizzas, and other than the speed – wood-fired ovens can reach temperatures of 500 degrees meaning pizzas can be ready in around 90 seconds or so – it's easy to see why.
"The wood-fired oven is just distinctive," explained Ryan. "It has a taste you can't replicate with anything else; the smell of the wood burning and the sound of it crackling just turns the whole thing into an experience from start to finish.
"Sure you can get these ovens in a restaurant, but you don't get to see the pizza being made in front of you – when you come to us, you see it, you can hear it, you can even feel the heat.
"It's an intimate experience you won't get in restaurants. You can see your pizza being made from start to finish and you don't get that elsewhere. It's a street food thing, and it's a massive attraction for people. It's amazing seeing people's faces when we turn up and they don't know what to expect, it's really engaging, we love seeing people enjoy what we are doing for them."
READ NEXT: 'Rude' restaurant Karen's Diner coming to Glasgow next month for unique pop-up
The entrepreneurial pair only use the best ingredients, sourcing either locally from producers like specialists Pietro's (who Ryan describes as the "Sausage King of Glasgow") or direct from Italy where the tomatoes for their sauces come from.
And when it comes to the dough that gives them their name?
"All of our dough is handmade, never ever frozen." states Ryan, " We usually need at least 48 hours to make it. We leave it for 24 hours then ball it by hand and leave it for another 24.
"Though prices have gone up, we always started this with the intention of doing the best product that we can and doing it at a price point that is affordable for everybody. We never want to exclude anyone or any budget."
Starting out with a spot at Big Feed in the southside, which the pair say was a huge help, they quickly learned that the street food community in Scotland is hugely supportive of newcomers.
Ryan explained: "You're always worried when you start that you'll be stepping on people's toes but all we've ever got back is love and support from the other traders, we've built up a great network now and try to help each other when we can.
"It really is about looking after each other, and if we can't do gigs we'll always try to pass it on to someone else to give them a chance to do it. It's a great thing to be a part of."
They've since gone on to do events, weddings, and even a huge gig or two - expanding to a team of up to eight or more who can help out during their busiest periods over the summer.
And while the humble horse box can do up to 40-50 pizzas an hour, they now have a large festival-type rig which Ryan describes as basically just a "humungous oven on wheels" they take to the higher footfall events, which can do over 130 an hour.
"In the summer, we were doing weddings one moment and then Green Day in Bellahouston Park the next. Being mobile we can go all over Scotland, but our current home is on Derby Street."
Sitting round the corner from the Ox and Finch on Derby Street, at the entrance to Kelvingrove Park, you'll find their distinctive green horsebox, which the brothers and their teamwork from each weekend. Running Friday to Sunday from 12 pm until the pizzas run out.
And if you want to enjoy one of their pizzas you might want to head over sooner rather than later, as after a starring turn on TikTok thanks to the @Southside Scrannerz account (which has had over 200,000 views and counting), they run out earlier and earlier these days.
"TikTok is like actual magic," gushed Ryan. "I woke up and checked my socials and we had 50 or so new followers and had people messaging me when we were going to open, we even had a queue on the Friday, while we were setting up.
"It was amazing and so so busy, with people travelling from far and wide to come and get one of our pizzas, the feedback has been amazing with people coming down to support another independent business, it's advertising you can't buy. We want to thank the Southside Scrannerz as we were really touched by it."
Keeping their menu as simple as they can, they offer four pizzas on their menu, two vegetarian and two meat with vegan and gluten-free options available.
Ryan explained: "We keep things nice and simple - it's what we've found people respond to best, we sell to a lot of families and it helps not to go too off-piste.
"We do throw in the occasional wild card, and everyone is absolutely free to mix and match what they want – we even have regulars who bring their own ingredients. It's important for us to build up that community aspect with our pitch, we want to plug in and offer a service that benefits everybody."
Part of that commitment is trying to help with the cost of living crisis, with Ryan stating that it's important for them to reduce costs and offer deals where they can. Students can any pizza for £6 throughout the weekend, while on a Friday from 12 until 3 pm everyone can enjoy any pizza for £6.
"We obviously don't have the overheads that a traditional restaurant would and that means we can afford to pass those savings on where we can. We want to try and give back if we can to the community as it's important to us."
Dough Man's Land has a permanent base on Derby Street in the west end and are open Fri - Sun from 12pm. You can follow them and find out more on Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.
READ MORE:
PRESSURE returns with first club night of the year at SWG3
Glasgow's Sinclairs gives emotional thank you to customers staff as it closes for good
We tried Glasgow's VR racing centre for a fun glimpse into the future of gaming
Glasgow bar The Alchemist to play cupid with Tarot speed readings event
Disney On Ice adds new performance in Glasgow due to popular demand
