Pie 'n' mash needs to be protected, says Essex MP

It is as Cockney as a Pearly Queen in a three-wheeler Del Boy van.

Now an Essex MP is to lead a parliamentary debate calling for traditional pie 'n' mash with liquor to get protected status, like champagne and Cornish Pasties.

Richard Holden, the Conservative MP for Basildon and Billericay, said the dish was "part of that Cockney diaspora", describing it as "the original fast food".

Andy Green, who founded the Modern Cockney Festival, said obtaining the status "may kickstart a fresh look from government agencies and public bodies to recognise the tradition and culture that pie 'n' mash represents".

Campaigners want the dish - mashed potato with minced beef pie and lashings of parsley sauce known as liquor - to be given Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) status by the government.

Mr Holden will lead the debate in Westminster Hall at 16:00 BST on Tuesday to stop producers claiming it - but with a different recipe.

The TSG status is defined by the specificity and traditional element of the dish and decision makers will need to see a recipe agreed.

Almost 30 years ago there were 60 pie 'n' mash shops across London, but there was barely a third of that total left by 2020.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Mr Green said there was "a narrative that pie 'n' mash shops are closing and maybe pie 'n' mash is dying" but, he added, "the reality is it's evolving".

"Listed traditional food status would give a mark, a statement that despite rumours of its death, pie 'n' mash is very much alive and thriving," he said.

Mr Green said its Cockney identity had spread further than the traditional areas of east and south London, marked by the spread of pie 'n' and mash shops, from Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire to Tunbridge Wells in Kent.

He said some shops were "evolving" with the times by offering vegetarian options and delivery services.

The iconic dish which has become synonymous with Cockney culture is thought to date back to the 1840s.

Traditionally, it consisted of a savoury pie filled with minced beef, served with mashed potatoes and a parsley liquor.

But for anyone feeling adventurous, pie 'n' mash can also be served with stewed jellied eels - another Cockney favourite.

Those who love it, like the Cockney Modern Festival organisers, say it is an artisan food with recipes handed down throughout generations "like precious family heirlooms".

Mr Holden said he has written to more than 40 MPs who have a pie 'n' mash shop in their constituency, adding: "It's part of a campaign to celebrate and really promote pie and mash, which has spread out from its beginnings in central and east London, down the Thames Gateway and out into the world."

He told PA Media: "We're wanting to celebrate it and I've got a couple of pie and mash shops in my part of the Basildon new town.

"I've got Stacey's Pie and Mash and Robins Pie and Mash. Robins is part of a small chain run by a family right across Essex and east London."

Famous fans of the hearty meal include David Beckham, actor Danny Dyer, and comedians Arthur Smith and Rob Beckett.

The dish has also been immortalised in EastEnders, with Beale's Eels Pie & Mash House.

Mr Holden said the dish had been enjoyed by families for nearly 200 years.

He said: "It's part of that Cockney diaspora - particularly for places like Basildon, where you've seen all that new build town... people moving out there from the East End and taking some of those traditions with them.

"It's great to promote a high quality product... it's the original fast food."

Daniel Zeichner, Labour's environment minister, said officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had been involved in discussions.

"They are clear that an application for TSG status requires agreement on the recipe that producers would need to follow to use the name in future," he said.

"They also understand that all those wishing to use the name would need periodic verification of their practices."

He said once a formal application had been submitted, a full assessment could then be made.