Pie, Mash and Liquor

Went to see West Ham today (Mark Nobles testimonial game) and got there early for some proper East End Pie, Mash and liquor on the Barking Road, about a mile from West Hams ground.

Pie and mash is a traditional London working-class food, originating in East London. 
Pie, mash and eel shops have been in London since the 19th century.
During the Victorian era, industrial air pollution tended to be worse in the east and south east of London because of the prevailing westerly wind, with the result that the East End was settled more by the working classes, while the western part of the city was home to higher social classes.
The working class were poor and favoured foodstuffs that were cheap, in plentiful supply and easy to prepare.
The savoury pie had long been a traditional food, and its small hand sized form also made it a transportable meal, protected from dirt by its cold pastry crust.
 European eels baked in a pastry crust became a common worker's meal since eels were one of the few forms of fish that could survive in the heavily polluted River Thames and London's other rivers at that time.
Adding cheap mashed potatoes made it a plate-based sit-down meal, and a sauce made of the water used to cook the eels, coloured and flavoured by parsley, make the whole dish something special.