LONDON – 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.
After a British politician took the case to parliament and won the backing of MPs, campaigners hope to land the label this year.
The first pie and mash eateries began to crop up in London in the 1800s, when street hawkers selling pies teamed up with eel vendors and set up shop near the city’s docks.
Over time, a set of rituals has grown up around the dish, from the quickfire “one and one” ordering system to the fork and spoon that purists insist on using to eat it.
The pie’s flaky crust and soft suet base have been a fixture for generations but most cooks have agreed to let one old-fashioned practice slide — nowadays, the liquor is rarely made from stewed eel water.
British cuisine has had a hard time shaking off its bad reputation but backers say pie and mash is worthy of joining hundreds of dishes with official protection in mainland Europe and, increasingly, in other countries including the UK.
The campaigners, among them several pie shop owners, now need to get a recipe for the dish approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs so they can secure a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) label.
