About Pie Mash & Liquor

Pie and Mash is quite simply the most traditional food that London has to offer. Forget your chip shops and burger bars, “Eel Pie and Mash Houses” have been around since the early 1800’s serving pie mash and liquor – the first ones opening in pre-Dickensian and Victorian London.

One of the major influences over the food traditions in London was the river Thames. It provided fish, both fresh and salt water, meat, vegetables and fruit were transported from around Britain, and spices and exotic foods from all over the world. The importance of the trading ships and the great markets like Billingsgate, Spitalfield and Smithfield can be seen in the names of roads in the East End, such as Bread Street, Milk Street and Fish Street.

Perhaps the most famous London dish is the Cockney speciality, jellied eels, caught locally and further out in the Thames Estuary. Made by boiling the eels with plenty of herbs and allowing small pieces to cool and form their own jelly (or by adding a helping portion of using gelatine). The taste is similar to that of pickled herring, but the softer texture can put people off.

The other great working class tradition is pie and mash. Originally, this common worker’s meal of pie mash and liquor was made with eels as a pie filling. Eels were one of the few fish that could live in the polluted Thames, beef being far too expensive. Latterly, the pies were made from scraps of beef and vegetables, leftovers or from the local markets, under a pastry crust. The mashed potatoes were liberally covered in parsley gravy or “liquor”. There has been a great revival in these dishes and quite a number of Pie ‘n’ Mash restaurants can now be found across London.

The modern pie and mash meal consists of a 100% minced beef filling, some with gravy, some without accompanied by mashed potato and covered in hot liquor gravy.