As traditional as black cabs and complaining about the weather, pie and mash shops have been a London staple since the mid-1800s. Considered the original fast food, London's pie and mash shops began life by serving quick, inexpensive and sustaining meals to working-class Londoners, predominantly in London's East End. By the end of the 1930s, there were as many as 150 pie shops in London, but as so many working-class Londoners continued to move out to the suburbs, the number of shops waned significantly.
M.Manze (colloquially known as Manze's) on Tower Bridge Road is London's oldest remaining pie and mash shop. It is arguably the most visually striking, with its gleaming green and white tiles, marble surfaces and dark wood pew seating. Manze's also serves some of the best pie and mash in London. The pies are generously filled with minced beef and deep brown gravy, with a suet pastry base and rough puff lid; the mash is smooth and scraped onto the side of the plate, and the liquor has a good texture and depth of parsley flavour, even better when doused with chilli vinegar.
Harringtons has been operating as a family business since 1908. Today the pie, mash, and liquor are prepared to the same time-honoured recipes that have kept customers returning for generations. Their offering remains a vital connection to the tradition of this beloved London cuisine, showcasing the simple but flavorsome combinations that have made pie and mash a quintessential element of the city’s culinary heritage.
Collection
[
|
...
]