Calls for Cockney pie and mash to be protected

The founding father of a Cockney pageant campaigning for the normal dish of pie and mash to be given protected standing stated the meal was “very much alive and thriving”.

Andy Green and campaigners, together with Conservative MP Richard Holden, need pie and mash with liquor to be given Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) standing by the federal government.

Mr Holden will lead a Parliament debate at 16:00 BST to cease the minced beef, mashed potato and parsley sauce dish being made by imposters.

Mr Green, who based the Modern Cockney Festival, stated acquiring the standing “may kickstart a fresh look from government agencies and public bodies to recognise the tradition and culture that pie ‘n’ mash represents”.

Mr Holden, the MP for Basildon and Billericay, stated: “With British staples like Cornish Pasties, Bramley Apple Pies and Melton Mowbray Pork Pies already enjoying protection, it’s now time we protect this important dish to be recognised and celebrated, as it is enjoyed by families for decades to come.”

The TSG is outlined by the specificity and conventional component of the dish and would wish to see a recipe agreed.

Almost 30 years in the past there have been 60 outlets throughout London, however there was barely one third of that whole left by 2020.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Mr Green stated there was “a narrative that pie ‘n’ mash shops are closing and maybe pie ‘n’ mash is dying, 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 stated.

Mr Green stated Cockney id unfold additional than the normal areas of east and south London, marked by the unfold of pie and mash outlets from Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire to Tunbridge Wells in Kent.

He stated some outlets had been “evolving” with the occasions by providing vegetarian choices and supply providers.

Ahead of the talk in Westminster Hall, Mr Holden stated the dish had been loved by households for almost 200 years.

He stated: “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 nice to promote a top quality product… it is the unique quick meals.”

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

“They are clear that an utility for TSG standing requires settlement on the recipe that producers would wish to comply with to use the title in future,” he stated.

“They additionally perceive that each one these wishing to use the title would wish periodic verification of their practises.”

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