Lavender Hill is famous for a number of things, it was at one time the site for London’s flourishing Lavender industry, it provided the location and title for one of Ealing Studios most iconic films and it was the inspiration for a Kinks song that dealt with walking through eternity and living off sugar and milk. For the members of the Pie & Mash Club however, this street has a different meaning, as it’s the site of Battersea’s notable Pie & Mash emporium Golden Pie, which has traded in this area since 2011. 

This was our third visit to this shop within a decade. However this trip was marred by the absence of our club’s recorder and statistician Nick Evans, who had to miss this meeting since he was busy tackling a deluge of assignments back at the office.   

Not much has changed since our last visit back in November 2016; even the prices remain the same as before, despite the increases in inflation. Around the counter area, the décor has changed somewhat, below the menu board there’s an impressive photo-collage of pie & mash shops over the years; while the lick of grey paint neatly compliments the Union flag displayed in the left hand corner. 

Eels can be eaten in a number of ways at this establishment. They can be served jellied, stewed, with liquor or alternatively with eel stock even. 

In Ray Goldstone’s case he often has his eels stewed with a side of mash and liquor to help wash it all down. At this late point in the current season, Goldstone is quite appropriately at the top position in the league with 155.5 points at the time of writing. His calm and measured eating technique is the secret to his success.

Doug Benford paused in a reflective mood as he savoured the shop’s scrumptious fare. Equally reflective is his choice of cycle gear, his dizzying combination of high-vis jacket, helmet and backpack has been known to slow down cars in traffic. So step aside Batman and Superman, there’s a new Superhero in town, and his name is Ultra-Reflective Man. 

The club’s very own ‘Eddie the Eagle’ Mosse was demonstrating his Olympian technique, digging into his pie with aplomb using the tried and tested JCB digger manoeuvre. This method allows for a higher yield of food with every morsel.   

We were joined by our associate from the East (of London) Colin Price who sampled an intriguing surf and turf combo of pie, mash and eels for his luncheon. 

This meeting also happened to fall on Mike Goldwater’s birthday; he turned the mighty age of 30 on this day. Although ageing is an inventible part of life, as the great comedian Jack Benny once said “Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.”    

A view of the meal from the Pie in the Sky.

Three times Champ; Nick Everton graced us with a flying visit. This shop also happened to be the location for his first meeting with club. As he fondly recalled, after a shopping trip to the nearby Asda, he decided to have a spot of pie & mash for lunch, where upon arrival he was introduced to the club for the first time. The rest you could say was a case of serendipity. 

We were also joined by Kitty Lam, who was visiting London for her mother’s birthday. Now based in Los Angeles, she bemoaned the constant high temperatures and over-usage of cars that blight the city. So it’s with no surprise upon returning to the big smoke, she immediately took to some home comforts by chowing down on London’s most iconic dish.  

Monty Martin travelled down from Lincolnshire to join us on this occasion. For 25 years now, he has been a fan of pie & mash; he was introduced to the ambrosial scoff by his partner at the time who encouraged him to try some at Robins in Basildon, since she claimed “it was a meal that East-Enders always should eat.” Since then he has been a long standing member of this club, as well as the legendary Pie and Mash Club of Great Britain, where he has visited a number of shops over the years.

Ray was dissatisfied with the choice of basin like plates used in the shop, since the depth of the dish caused the liquor to submerge the pies. Indeed one would need to send out a Submersible to uncover the contents of this meal. 

North and South. 

A new feature in this shop is this brilliant photo-collage of pie & mash shops past and present. Each photo in this collage contributes towards the rich tapestry that connects pie & mash over the generations.

Many of the images featured within this collage show scenes from former shops such as A.Cooke, J.Gooding, Clarks and F.Cooke (Dalston) for instance; painting a poignant picture into how much we have lost in London over the years.

Monty invited his son Simon to join the proceedings. For a number of years, Monty has tried to indoctrinate his son into the world of pie & mash, even to the point of making home-cooked pie & mash meals in the days before delivery firms became widespread. However much like Luke Skywalker, he hasn’t been lured to the Liquor side of the force yet.

For those who have spare room in their appetites for afters; this shop has a varied selection of desserts, from steamed puddings, to apple pies and their signature home-made bread pudding. These portions may look delectable, however they are by no means light, and could easily send a person into a stodgy overload if their appetites can’t handle the portions. 

A lot has changed over the past few years for Ali Ziweck, our genial host and pieman. Recently he has expanded his trade to a lucrative new business known as Bush Pie & Mash, who organise pop-up canteens at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Shepherd’s Bush during every QPR home game. They have also sold pie and mash at various markets and pubs. 

Our food was cordially served by his assistant Kim; a resident of Shepherd’s Bush, she was a frequent visitor to A.Cooke back in the day, where Ali also happened to work at for over 20 years.  So they have a mutual connection through that shop.     

The Lavender Hill Mob.

After nearly everyone had dispersed off into the various areas of London and beyond, a few of us journeyed down the hill for a post pie pint at The Falcon; one of Battersea’s iconic drinking spots. A pint or two was sipped as we drank well into the afternoon, within the pub’s cosy saloon bar. 

Cheers
MG