Autumn was in ascendance, as we emerged bleary eyed from a long Summer recess. A mixture of old and new faces assembled outside the historic emporium of pies at the allotted hour of 1pm, eager to plunder servings of London’s iconic culinary fare.

Ray Goldstone had an eventful Summer, vacationing in the Lake District where he visited places like Buttermere, Windermere and Greystoke. The latter was named after the baronage who once resided in the area; its namesake was notably utilized for the title of the fictional character Tarzan, who was otherwise known as John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke.

Meanwhile, the bard of Brentford, Douglas Benford was brimming with excitement, in anticipation of a culture filled trip to Shoreditch later that day.

In the pie & mash world, there are a few ways to commit cardinal sins that would incur the wrath of any staunch traditionalist. Ian Burr was keen to provoke controversy and prove his Northern credentials by brazenly ordering gravy instead of liquor with his meal.

Andy Saunders looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, as he paused between mouthfuls.

His fellow collegiate Terry Moore was a vision in canary yellow, showing off his prowess as he quickly demolished his tucker.

Another partaker of the yellower side of the sartorial spectrum was Keith Allwright. A former touring manager for the Railway Touring Co. that specialises in organising long distance rail-tours; nowadays his mode of travel is more localised, thanks to his trusty senior railcard that helps get him round the metropolis.

The fare was deftly served, leaving plenty of room to appreciate the various components of the dish. The pies were particularly flavourful, with a succulent base that cut through like a suet pudding.

Seated in the rear pews were Nick Evans and Richard Lucas. Nearly 30 years ago in October 1994, they were both instrumental in helping set up the club, initially meeting at R. Cooke in Waterloo; incidentally just over a mile away from Manze’s. So this meeting has a special significance for them.

Alan Smith was also a regular during the club’s formative years. An ex-colleague of Messrs Evans and Lucas, his works Softball team was responsible as the genesis that inspired the creation of the club.

Colin Price is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to all things pie & mash related. He readily felt as ease as he soaked in the late Victorian era ambience of the ornate Grade II listed fittings.

With the shop only being a stone’s throw away from the River Thames, your recorder appropriately donned a nautical themed polo shirt that featured a number of ship’s ensigns.

Earlier this year Paul Chrysanthou underwent a mammoth 2½ month tour of all the pie & mash shops within London, visiting as many as three shops per day. Making his club debut, he impressively clocked in a Noah’s Ark (a 28-point double portion of everything) by the meal’s end.

The atmosphere was abuzz that lunchtime, the congregation were in their element as they ploughed through the ambrosial scoff.

Before moving onto the pie & mash trade, the shop’s founder Michele Manze, initially worked as an ice cream vendor. In recent years, Manze’s has returned to their origins, setting up a stall from their serving hatch. Lori was at hand serving out scoopfuls of Gelato to dozens of discerning customers.

This is turn caused a mass Gelato outbreak.

Check out the art nouveau style table lamp. Its decorative patterns are highly reminiscent of a stained-glass window.

After enduring a sizeable lunch, Burr took some time out on the recovery bench.

Despite it being Sunday lunchtime, trade was reasonably modest; this is in stark contrast to peak times when capacity is often close to full.

On serving duties that afternoon, were the ladies in emerald, Lori, Sherri and Tilly (l-r).

The 10-aside team took up most of the space outside the match day grounds. They soon dispersed upon the blowing of the final whistle.

Before we circulated onto the public transport network, we took a lengthy detour to one of our favourite public houses The Royal Oak, notable for its extensive selection of cask ales.

Down the Hatch!

MG