This is an explanation of the traditional pie and mash shop for Casey & Katie, who asked about Pie & Mash in my previous post. So if your ever in London, find a Pie & Mash shop and give it a try.
I made mine as a joke for my Dad, who originally came from the East End of London and loved his Pie & Mash, with plenty of Vinegar and Black Pepper.
Manze's have always been the best Pie & Mash shops, the picture of this shop is in Peckham, South East London and I often used to go there with my friends at lunch time from work, when I worked in The Old Kent Road. But I would just have the Pie and Mash without the Liquor.
Pie and mash is a traditional London working class food. Pie, mash and stewed eels shops have been in London since the 18th century and are still common in south and east London and also found in many parts of Essex.[1]
The main dish sold is pie and mash — a minced beef pie and mashed potato. It is common for the mashed potato to be spread around one side of the plate and for a type of parsley sauce called liquor (although it is non-alcoholic) to be added. Liquor traditionally has a green colour which is not from food colouring but the parsley. It is also traditionally made using the water kept from the preparation of the stewed eels.
Traditionally the shops have white tile walls, with marble floors, tables and work tops, easy to clean and giving a Victorian appearance.
Jellied eels are another London speciality often sold in pie and mash shops. Chilli-vinegar (vinegar containing pickled chillies) is also traditionally served with both of these dishes.
The pies, mash potato and stewed eels are all prepared on the premises. Jellied eels are usually bought ready prepared.
Recently pie and mash shops have started to offer
vegetarian pies and also menus for children which has met with a measure of success. It is possible to buy pie and mash on the internet.
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