London’s pie & mash shops

The Cookes, the Manzes and the Kellys are the three families most associated with pie and mash in London. Each family owned multiple shops across London, passing down the business from generation to generation. The Cookes had a shop on Sclater Street, Shoreditch, as far back as 1862. The branch shown in the photo traded as F Cooke, and opened at 41 Kingsland High Street in Dalston in 1910. The ‘F’ stands for Fred.

This is seven-year-old Christopher’s first plate of pie and mash. He’s eating at M Manze in Chapel Market, Pentonville, which opened around 1905. Like London itself, the history of pie and mash is international. The Manze founder, Michele, was born in southern Italy and opened his first shop in Bermondsey in 1902. The Kelly family are of Irish heritage.

Bobby Cooke selects an eel at the now closed F Cooke shop on Broadway Market, London Fields. Eels and eel pies were popular street foods long before they began to be served in shops from the mid-19th century. The eels are commonly served jellied – unappetising to many, but a delicacy for the regulars.

The beef pies are typically served with mashed potato and steaming hot ‘liquor’, a parsley sauce originally made using eel stock. Regular or chilli vinegar is an optional addition, as are the jellied eels. The menu is simple and dependable.

These shops were places where working-class people could come to refuel quickly during a busy day. There’s a reason they’re called ‘shops’, not restaurants. Though the tiled walls, wooden benches and marble countertops look grand to our modern eyes, the eating here is no-frills. Some pie and mash shops scattered sawdust on the floors to stop people slipping on the discarded eel bones.

Pie and mash shops began in the East End, and despite spreading across London, the dish is still best known as a cockney tradition. As east London has changed, many families who grew up eating eels, pie and mash have moved away. F Cooke opened a new store in Essex in 2020, catering to old regulars who’d left London.

Chris Clunn began work as a music photographer in the 1970s before turning to social documentation. His Eels, Pie and Mash series, taken between 1990 and 1995, was first exhibited at our museum. He followed it with a series on the characters of Smithfield Market. The photos in this story, along with many others, are part of our collection.

At the end of the 19th century, there were over 100 shops in London. In 1995, there were still 87. But the numbers have fallen dramatically since then. In 2024, pie and mash could still be eaten at around 30 London shops, from Walthamstow to Sutton. These include G Kelly on Roman Road, F Cooke in Hoxton and M Manze on Tower Bridge Road, the oldest shop still serving.