‘Pie and Mash Shops’ used to be very common in the East End, and in addition to the pies, mashed potato and ‘liquor’ (a green parsley sauce made with the water left over from stewing eels), they always sold ‘Jellied Eels’.
Eel Fisheries
Young eels were caught in many European estuaries as they came in from their spawning grounds. These small fish were seasonal delicacies in many parts of Europe, but the Thames eel fishery was a bit unusual in that it was the large adults that were fished for. Nets were used as far into the estuary as London itself, so the eels were literally ‘caught on the doorstep’. The other thing about catching the adults is that they are available all year round (unlike the young which are only there once a year).
Cheap Food
Because European Eels were once so common in the River Thames they could be caught easily, and because they are very tough could be safely transported live to the markets. This made live eels a very cheap and accessible food for the poor of London, and along with the meat pies and mashed potato they became the traditional food of the Cockney (a person born within the sound of ‘Bow Bells’ in the East End).
Traditional English Food
Poor people everywhere in the world need to find a cheap, sustainable and nutritious way to feed themselves. Potatoes fit this bill nicely in most parts of Britain, as does wheat flour and fish (well – fish was cheaply available in the past at least!). Add to these three staples the often-dubious bits of slaughtered animals (the best bits sold to the rich) and you have an explanation for a number of the traditional English foods. ‘Fish and Chips’ is self-explanatory, as is ‘Pie and Mash’, but the Cockney predilection for ‘Jellied Eels’ or ‘Stewed Eels’ can only really be understood when the huge number of eels available in the Thames at London (in the past) is taken into account.
Pie and Mash Shops
In the past the very poor lived in slums. They were often crowded into dingy accommodation where cooking was almost impossible. This explains the emergence of the ‘Pie and Mash Shops’ of the East End. Dining out was not a luxury for these people, it was a necessity – but the food had to be very cheap. The East End ‘Pie and Mash Shops’ only offered potatoes, pies, and eels – and the surroundings were often crowded and rather fundamental. Large predictable numbers of very regular customers, the cheapest of ingredients, and extremely little choice of menu meant that these shops could keep their prices low (lower than the cost of buying the stuff yourself and attempting to cook it at home). ‘Pie and Mash Shops’ served cheap nutritious food, and they still do if you can find one.
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