Pie, Mash and Liqueur – A to Z of Things to do & Places to Visit in London

A visit to a traditional Pie and Mash shop is must do experience. I first discovered ‘A Cooke’s Pie, Mash and Eels shop’ not long after I first moved to London 3 years ago. I lived a 10 minute walk away. This shop has been open for business since  1899 and the reason why they are still in business is because the food is excellent and the customer service is spot on – this shop is real quality. There are other great Pie and Mash shops dotted around London – seek and ye shall find!

On Friday afternoon I took a step back in time and once again paid a visit to Cooke’s to see if they were as good as I remembered. This is an old school shop, a real step back in time to the 1960′s. Plastic chairs, basic décor – very clean, spotless! Nice and friendly service.

I’m not into eels, whether they are stewed or boiled, and yes I have tried them in the past and no I don’t like them. I ordered up myself a single traditional beef pie, mash and liqueur, which is not booze but a delicious parsley sauce! A real bargain at 4 quid. I was going to go for the double but I was saving some room for the spotted dick pudding and custard, which cost 3 quid. All washed down with a couple of cups of tea.

And to cut a long story short, everything tasted delicious. The pie, mash and liqueur were seriously tasty. And I will tell you this, the pudding was outrageously good. By the time I had finished eating I was stuffed. Simple food cooked to perfection!

Shops like Cooke’s are disappearing all the time from the landscape of London, which is a pity. Sometimes all I want is simplicity, not fancy over priced bull shit food in a place that is as over rated as their prices! I love the homeliness, the old time feel, the quality service and best of all the delicious pie, mash and liqueur that you find in shops like Cooke’s.

Seemingly the council wants to demolish the row of shops where Cooke’s is located as part of the redevelopment of the area. Go check them out while you can…

Not only do A Cooke’s Pie, Mash and Eel shop sell very tasty food, they also have a bit of music history associated with them. Back in the 1960′s the shop was Mod hangout and even features in the classic movie Quadrophenia. The Detours who later would change their name to The Who performed there.

A quote I read in the London free rag by Pete Townsend the legendary The Who guitarist the other day said: “Cooke’s is a part of the history of Goldhawk Road. For my part, this was where The Who took flight in 1963, where we performed one of our first shows as the Detours. I realise change is inevitable, but to think of Shepherd’s Bush without Cooke’s is inconceivable.”

A Cooke’s Pie, Mash and Eels shop is located on Goldhawk Road a short distance from Shepherd’s Bush Market. Definitely worth a visit…

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