The first recorded Pie & Mash shop was Henry Blanchard’s at Union Street in Southwark, which opened in 1844. It was described as an ‘Eel Pie House’. Eels were one of the few fish that could survive in the heavily polluted River Thames and they were plentiful, making them perfect food for the working classes. Eel pies became convenient food to serve to large crowds and on Eel Pie Island, a small island in the Thames, the Eel Pie Island Hotel served them to Victorian day trippers in the 19th century. The hotel later became rather iconic, hosting concerts with rock legends The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, Genesis and Black Sabbath.
