My uncle used to take us boys eel fishing at the Royal Docks just to get us away from mum and dad rowing. We would catch them on bait lines and he would stick them in covered buckets under the van for the night. I remember, me and my brother could hear them wriggling under the van, we just curled up tighter in our sleeping bags. Then we had the pleasure of seeing him gut them and chop them up, "watch out for em boys, they play possum!" and getting bombed by gulls as we chucked their innards away... Never ever tasted them, and never want to.
He also introduced me to Charlton as well, which today i guess all this would involve social workers!
Sounds like the intro to a low-budget east end remake of Deliverance.
Bucking the trend here but I love jellied eels - probably a big nostalgia factor, plus having had it (and seen it as a bit of a treat) for as long as I can remember. I recently asked a Mexican friend about how children get accustomed to all their ridiculously spicy food and his response was basically 'we stick at it until they stop crying about it' - probably had a similar approach taken when I was a kid..!
On the nostalgia element, my grandad used to moor a Dutch barge on the river at Erith and I spent a lot of time there when I was really young (90s) helping out/getting in the way while he was renovating it. There was a chap who took me out on a little boat to check his eel traps - I was told he was one of the last people catching them that way on the Thames. It's always stuck in my mind as a bit of a connection to an older London.
Only mockney Spanners and Hammers from Southend and Margate eat that pie and mash, jellied eel shit.
Real Londoners have more taste.
It’s astonishing how limited London’s culinary traditions are.
What cuisine is really “London”? Claiming pies and mash potato is really stretching things - I would imagine many parts of the U.K. & Ireland will have had the sense to put these two pretty ubiquitous foods together.
We’re fortunate that we’ve benefitted from lots of different cultures emigrating here and bringing their decent food with them, otherwise we’d all be eating jellied eel and cockles three times a day!
On the nostalgia element, my grandad used to moor a Dutch barge on the river at Erith and I spent a lot of time there when I was really young (90s) helping out/getting in the way while he was renovating it. There was a chap who took me out on a little boat to check his eel traps - I was told he was one of the last people catching them that way on the Thames. It's always stuck in my mind as a bit of a connection to an older London.
Jeez, if you were really young in your 90’s how fucking old are you now?
On the nostalgia element, my grandad used to moor a Dutch barge on the river at Erith and I spent a lot of time there when I was really young (90s) helping out/getting in the way while he was renovating it. There was a chap who took me out on a little boat to check his eel traps - I was told he was one of the last people catching them that way on the Thames. It's always stuck in my mind as a bit of a connection to an older London.
Jeez, if you were really young in your 90’s how fucking old are you now?
I was more concerned of him falling for the old 'come and look at my eel traps nugget '
Jellied eels are great, but eels caught overnight and cooked in the morning and eaten fresh are much better. But the best way to have eel imho, is sushi (unagi) 😋
My granddad was a real SE London boy! Born on Greenwich, worked at Woolwich Arsenal before after the WW2 and was a lifelong Charlton supporter. His treat after shift on a Friday or Saturday was a plate of stewed or jellied eels. He let me try them once but I found them absolutely disgusting and still do. i do love Pie and Mash, but with gravy, not liquor.
Fucking jank. For people that lie to themselves about how good they taste, just cos they’re proper London.
And remember, just like pie and mash, you have to tell everyone you’ve ever met that you’ve just eaten it as well.
Someone I know on Facebook frequently posts pics of themselves eating pie and mash. Not stereotyping or anything but they're also Millwall. All that's missing is the flat cap.
We often had stewed eels when I was growing up. My mum used to get them from the "eel man" who had a stall in Douglas Way off of Deptford High Street. The live eels were in large in wooden trays & he would pick them out & chop their heads off but they continued to move for a long while after. Jellied eels were always on the buffet at family weddings. Have tried them more recently & no longer a fan.
I remember years ago now watching an LWT news feature about the refurbishment or relaunch of a Pie, Mash and Eel shop in the East End. I had long before tried and hated Jellied Eels but as they were talking to all the customers eulogising about the Pies I was really starting to think yeh, I fancy giving those a try as I like a good pie. Then the TV interviewer asked one of the geezers sat at a table what was it about the Pies that made them so good. He looked up and said "Iss got a bit o' gristle and I do love a bit o'gristle".
I like them. Not overly keen on stewed. Dont like the jelly at all, and can do a pretty good job on removing that prior to eating. Used to go to micks eels in Canning Town and buy bowlfuls. Come in different grades dependant on thickness. used to catch them by the bagful down the Thames off the old jetties between the A&H and barrier. Smoked eels are very nice.
We often had stewed eels when I was growing up. My mum used to get them from the "eel man" who had a stall in Douglas Street off of Deptford High Street. The live eels were in large in wooden trays & he would pick them out & chop their heads off but they continued to move for a long while after. Jellied eels were always on the buffet at family weddings. Have tried them more recently & no longer a fan.
The Eel Man sounds like a tall story to elicit compliance from kids. 'Eat all your dinner up or The Eel Man Will be after yer'.
An't recommend jellied eels, i got persuaded into trying them as best man on a stag do and the groom had to do a forfeit and i agreed to do this one with him.
Having not tried them before i was unaware that in the middle of the slime there was an unpleasantly serrated bone, the taste was manageable but nearly shredding the inside of my throat to pieces pit me off.
Whelks however are proper decent. Pie and mash as has been said before, very bland almost pre-digested for you. Adding bile in the form of liquor does make them taste of something, sadly like, i imagine, eating the contents of someone elses stomach.
I remember going to Manzies in Woolwich and seeing them dispatching the poor live Eels in the window, before skinning their still wriggling headless bodies and it was like a horror show - it didn't seem to put off the patrons- absolutely disgusting- but I suppose they never had colour telly or iPads in those days, and had to make their own entertainment.
Never been but I believe the one in Deptford has just closed permanently. Does anyone know of a good old fashioned pie and mash place still open?
Absolutely loved them as a kid along with pie mash. Having moved out of London years ago during Covid I thought I would treat my misses and our 4 kids to Manzes when I discovered the did mail order. Ordered 6x pie mash & liquor along with jellied eels and couldn’t wait for them to arrive. Cost a bloody fortune ! From memory 80 odd quid. They arrived and we all excitedly warmed the pie mash ready for eating! Fuck me how the memory deceives you lol the whole lot went in the bin
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On the nostalgia element, my grandad used to moor a Dutch barge on the river at Erith and I spent a lot of time there when I was really young (90s) helping out/getting in the way while he was renovating it. There was a chap who took me out on a little boat to check his eel traps - I was told he was one of the last people catching them that way on the Thames. It's always stuck in my mind as a bit of a connection to an older London.
Hospital Food.
His treat after shift on a Friday or Saturday was a plate of stewed or jellied eels.
He let me try them once but I found them
absolutely disgusting and still do.
i do love Pie and Mash, but with gravy, not liquor.
I had long before tried and hated Jellied Eels but as they were talking to all the customers eulogising about the Pies I was really starting to think yeh, I fancy giving those a try as I like a good pie.
Then the TV interviewer asked one of the geezers sat at a table what was it about the Pies that made them so good.
He looked up and said "Iss got a bit o' gristle and I do love a bit o'gristle".
Dont like the jelly at all, and can do a pretty good job on removing that prior to eating.
Used to go to micks eels in Canning Town and buy bowlfuls.
Come in different grades dependant on thickness.
used to catch them by the bagful down the Thames off the old jetties between the A&H and barrier.
Smoked eels are very nice.
Pie mash from Kellys, and fish and chips from Hackney Road
Konch's Cafe in Brentwood. 4.7 out of 5 apparently.