AN MP and pie and mash shop have joined forces to launch a campaign to protect the heritage and authenticity of the traditional cockney classic.
Thomas Allpress, who runs Robins Pie and Mash in the town centre, welcomed Richard Holden, MP for Basildon and Billericay, on Friday as they launched a bid to get traditional pie and mash protected status.
The campaign is calling for the British staple to benefit from the same protection granted to Cornish pasties and Bramley Apples, which means authentic ingredients and cooking methods must be used.
Mr Holden will now debate the issue in the House of Commons tomorrow and hopes other MPs will join the campaign.
He said: “We’ve got cracking shops who are masters of the art of pie and mash, it’s not about protecting, it’s about really celebrating it.
“The cockney diaspora, you can tell from the West Ham badge on the wall, this is the East End moved out to the new towns across Essex.
“It’s really important that we don’t lose that connection, it’s an important thing to celebrate.
“Melton Mowbray has its pork pies, Cornwall has its pasties, Cockneys have their pie and mash. We’re pushing for it to get recognised.”
Mr Holden said everyone “needs to get their shoulders to the wheel” to turn up the pressure on Defra and recognise it as a “proper, traditional product.”
Thomas, who runs the Robins shops in Southend and Basildon, believes the history – and cracking value for money – of traditional pie and mash deserves to be celebrated.
He said: “It would be very good to get it into the house of Parliament. It’s a cheap meal for people, think, it’s a fiver for something that comes on a plate with a spoon and fork, a burger comes with paper and you throw it away.
“It’s all artisan, handmade. It’s not recognised. It’s a family-run thing, my sister, Julie, has got Romford, my niece, Claudia, she’s got Chelmsford and Chingford, and I’ve got Southend and Basildon.
“It’s our life, it’s been in the family for almost 100 years.”
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