Why campaigners want classic London dish pie and mash to have official protected status
'One and one please, love,' a regular said, leaning on the counter at a pie and mash shop in London's East End.
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In seconds, one piping hot beef pie appeared with a single scoop of mashed potatoes at G Kelly's shop, topped off with parsley sauce known as liquor.
Londoners have been eating this classic Cockney combination since at least Victorian times, but for many years the working-class staple has had a humble reputation among outsiders.
Now a campaign to get pie and mash special protected status is gaining ground, with supporters arguing the dish deserves an official stamp of recognition similar to Parmesan cheese and Champagne.
G Kelly in Bow, in London's East End, sells traditional pie and mash, as well as jellied eels. Photo: AFP
After a British politician took the case to parliament and won the backing of MPs, campaigners hope to land the label this year.
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