The fabulous Stockport pizza spot tucked behind an industrial estate and car dealership

Wedged between a used car dealership, a Maserati garage and aquarium superstore, lies Crust MCR is a self-styled Italian kitchen serving up fresh Neapolitan pizzas

At the start of January I made a vow to myself to try and uncover some of Greater Manchester’s very best hidden food gems. The quest got off to a fine start, with an al fresco lunch at an excellent Hong Kong-style bakery in Wythenshawe.

Buoyant with my early success I decided for my next excursion to track down a hidden pizza spot tucked away on an industrial estate that had popped up several times on social media. A relatively new addition to the thriving Stockport food scene, Crust MCR is a self-styled Italian kitchen serving up fresh Neapolitan pizzas.

It started off last year by serving pizza out of a converted horsebox at weddings and events across the North West. Following positive feedback from punters and demand for more, the small but mighty team decided to take things a step further and open its first brick-and-mortar unit on an industrial estate in Stockport.

While my first foray into uncovering hidden gems had been plain sailing, my second trip proved a little more taxing. Leaving the office as the sun set over the M60, the Sat Nav decided to pack in, leaving me scouring my brain for some recollection of the map I’d briefly surveyed ten minutes earlier.

Using Strawberry Studios as my lodestar, I found myself weaving around dimly lit backstreets and alleyways until something caught my attention. Wedged between a used car dealership, a Maserati garage and aquarium superstore, I finally found Crust Mcr - and some of the best pizza I’ve tried in Greater Manchester.

Like a beacon in a storm, a yellow-hued light from a no-frills industrial unit showed me the way. Positioned next to a dog training school, Crust is rather inconspicuous, but is doing something rather special and at a very reasonable price.

This isn’t any ordinary takeaway though. They’re using either locally sourced or top-quality Italian products direct from Italy, like the Fior di Latte mozzarella, and the dough is made from scratch using Nelstrops Family Millers’ flour. Dough is proved for at least 24 hours before being lovingly shovelled into the oven, so you can tell it’s a real labour of love.

Before tracking it down I’d ordered over Instagram in what was a rather frazzled and frantic exchange, which I can only apologise to the owners for. My Luddite ways aside, the process was actually fairly straightforward and the owners worked around the estimated time it would take for me to get to the office to the unit on Gorsey Mount Street.

Pursuing the menu before I set off I couldn’t quite believe the deal I was getting. A 12-inch pizza on its own is just £7 and you can add a drink for an extra £2. Options include classics like Margherita alongside Hot Honey with mozzarella, pepperoni, nduja, chilli infused honey and parmesan, and Antipasti with red onion, roasted peppers and rocket.

Many are vegan, like the Pesto with ricotta, roasted peppers, sunblushed tomatoes and red onion on a pesto base, as is the Sweet Marg with hot honey and basil and Shroom, which is self explanatory but basically features a lot of mushrooms. There’s also a range of dips for £1.50 a pop, spanning pesto mayo, garlic aioli, nduja mayo, hot honey, truffle mayo and chipotle mayo.

Should you want something sweet they also serve up the delectable pocket-sized treat and all-round favourite, the cannoli, with fillings including pistachio, vanilla and chocolate, and many more. They’re available for 4 for £4.

The meal deal is a real steal though. I order to 'Parma' and' Hot Honey' alongside two cans of pop and a garlic dip for £15 and feel pretty smug about the whole thing.

Abandoning my car somewhere back up the street and sidle up to the chipboard-outfitted unit with forest green industrial counter front. It's all very no-nonsense with a bit of plant matter and a couple of fold-out chairs for decoration.

There’s no one about but I can hear a couple of people behind the screen chatting away. Luckily there’s a bell and it’s not long before someone pops out with my order. Done and dusted I make the short journey home to see what’s in store.

Pizza box lids prized open, it doesn’t take long for both to be demolished. The pepperoni and nduja of the Hot Honey glisten before being doused with a generous amount of dip. It’s a perfectly thin base but with a light and airy crust, and a generous amount of toppings - easily one of the best pizzas around.

It’s matched by the Parma, which is decked out with Prosciutto and rocket as well as adjusting of parmesan and rocket. Both slightly charred exactly how they should be and with a chewy crust, there’s a great balance with both pizzas between the creamy cheese, tomato sauce and fresh toppings.

The whole point of a Neapolitan pizza is to be unfussy and unpretentious, and Crust Mcr has managed just that. Tucked down a side street between car dealerships and aquariums, it might not be the easiest spot to find, but as any hidden gem hunter knows, that’s all part of the experience.

Crust Mcr, Unit 6B, Waterloo Works, Gorsey Mount St, Stockport SK1 3BU