There are few things more resolutely London than pie and mash. Not dainty, not fussy, not trying to be anything other than what it is. A good pie, a mound of mash, a flood of liquor and enough vinegar to make your eyes prickle. During British Pie Week, it feels only right to tip our hats to the capital’s great working-class dish.
Pie and mash shops began appearing in the 19th century, feeding London’s dockers, labourers and market traders. Originally the pies were filled with eel, plentiful in the Thames at the time, before beef gradually took over as tastes and supply shifted. The parsley liquor - that vivid green sauce - traditionally came from the water used to boil eels, thickened and sharpened, ladled generously over pie and mash. It was cheap, filling, and deeply comforting. A proper plate of ballast. In fact, it makes us feel quite nostalgic and weepy just thinking about it.
But somewhere along the line, things slipped. Too many pies became vehicles for grey, overworked mince. Anonymous. Dry. Forgettable. And if we’re honest, it’s probably those bad mince pies that have contributed to the quiet demise of so many pie and mash shops across London. Which is a shame, because mince - treated properly - is one of the great things.
At Turner & George, we’ve taken the bones of the classic and given it a little respect. The sort of treatment you might associate with somewhere like St. John: patience, restraint, and an understanding that beef doesn’t need bullying. We build flavour gently, coaxing sweetness from vegetables, letting the mince wobble into richness rather than hammering it into submission.
Instead of the usual Worcestershire sauce, we’ve added a spoonful of Gentleman’s Relish by Patum Peperium - that salty, anchovy depth that quietly amplifies everything around it.
The pie itself is half practical, half indulgent. A shortcrust base for structure and bite. A puff pastry lid for lift and crispness. Shop-bought is absolutely fine - this is about the filling. For the liquor, we’ve opted for a good fish stock rather than eel water. It keeps faith with tradition but feels a touch more accessible, while still delivering that savoury backbone beneath the parsley.
Here’s how we do it.
Turner & George Proper London Mince Pie - serves four
For the filling
Beef dripping, for frying
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 leek, sliced in half lengthways, cleaned, then sliced across
1 stick of celery, sliced across
1 carrot, peeled, sliced in half lengthways, then sliced across
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
1kg ground beef
2 whole plum tomatoes, from a tin
50g oatmeal
1 tablespoon Gentleman’s Relish
½ a bottle of red wine
Maldon Sea salt and black pepper
For the pie
350g Shortcrust pastry (for the base)
350g Puff pastry (for the lid)
1 egg, beaten
Method
Heat a wide, sturdy pan or casserole and melt a good spoonful of beef dripping until it shimmers. Add the onion, leek, celery, carrot and whole garlic cloves with a pinch of salt, and cook them slowly over a gentle heat.
Turn the heat up slightly and add the ground beef, separating it with a wooden spoon so it cooks evenly without clumping. Next, put the plum tomatoes in by and squash with the back of the spoon before scattering in the oatmeal to give the mince that creamy, subtle thickness.
Stir through the Gentleman’s Relish and pour in the red wine. Season well with sea salt and black pepper, then lower the heat and let everything burble away lazily for 1½ to 2 hours. The finished mince should be rich, glossy and softly set, holding together but still relaxed. If it reduces too far, loosen with a splash of water. Leave the filling to cool fully before it goes anywhere near the pastry.
Traditionally, pie and mash is served in individual tins, and that’s exactly how we’ve done it here - proper single-serve pies with crisp lids and sturdy sides. That said, the filling works just as well baked as one generous, family-sized pie if you’re feeding a crowd.
To assemble, line your tins (or pie dish) with shortcrust pastry, pressing it neatly into the corners. Spoon in the cooled mince generously and brush the edges with beaten egg, lay the puff pastry lid over the top, trim off any excess pastry, then crimp firmly to seal. Glaze the top, cut a small steam hole in the centre, and bake at 190°C for 30 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and crisp.
Parsley Liquor (the modern way)
Make a light roux with butter and flour, then gradually whisk in hot fish stock until you have a pourable sauce. Add a large handful of very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and season well. It should be savoury, fresh and unapologetically green.
Serve the pie with properly smooth mash - seasoned with salt and a good crack of white pepper - and absolutely lash it with vinegar. If you can get hold of Vinney’s chilli vinegar, even better.
Comforting, nostalgic, and just elevated enough to remind you why pie and mash became a London institution in the first place.
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