I don’t think you’re ready, for this jelly
By Tom Jenkins
7 June 2011, 12:48
F. COOKE, E8
I start my ill-advised tour of traditional East end eateries at this century old Pie and Mash shop on Broadway Market. On a weekend the place is heaving with locals, trendy young things and tourists. On a chilly Friday morning I’m the only patron. I’m nervous as I order my first ever bowl of jellied eels, the smell of pie and gravy taunting me from the kitchen. Nerves turn into genuine fear as the gleaming, gelatinous mess is placed before me. Perversely the dish reminds me of a half melted, fishy slush puppy but I resolve to get stuck in and stop being such a big baby, after all, how bad can it be?
I skewer a small piece of eel, top it with a generous amount of jelly (a mistake) and pop it in my mouth. I gag. My girlfriend, who I’ve managed to drag along as amateur photographer for the day, helpfully points out the similarities between what I’ve just eaten and semen. I gag again. Not wishing to offend the nice lady behind the counter I swallow the salty globule with a cartoon style gulp and get started on the next mouthful. The fish is actually pretty good – soft, well cooked and full of flavour. After working my way through half of what is apparently a ‘small’ portion, I give up and decide to have a chat with the owner Bob, whose grandfather started the business back in the early 1900s.
I’m curious as to whether the Jellied Eel has had a resurgence of a late: does the novelty factor of this dish appeal to the uber-cool new residents/visitors to E8? ‘Absolutely’ says Bob, ‘we get a few old east-enders in here but mostly its people who come to the market on a Saturday. A lot of them are from West London I think’. What’s the secret to a good Jellied Eel? ‘Good Eels mate, simple. Boil them up, add a little seasoning and you’re done’. Bob seems perplexed when I inform him of my intention to visit another three sites today, but wishes me luck nonetheless.
G.KELLY, E3
Established by George and Theresa Kelly in the 1930s, the two G.Kelly’s on Roman Road Market are now run by their niece Susan. As I join the lunchtime queue snaking out of number 526, I decide on a change of tactics to preserve my already delicate stomach. I order a bowl of steaming hot Eels in parsley sauce (liquor) and take a seat in one of the cosy booths. As I do so I notice I’m the only person indulging in this working class delicacy. I feel a little stupid; like a tourist in my own city, trying to fit in with the natives.
I’m expecting the hot Eels to be infinitely more enjoyable than their cold, jellied cousins, but the gelatinous nature of the fish gives it a slightly unpleasant texture in the hot broth and the liquor is a little under seasoned. My companion opts for chicken pie, mash and gravy, which I quickly hijack, dumping great mounds of buttery potato into the Eel peppered liquor.
As we leave I try and grab a couple of minutes with the woman behind the counter, who I believe to be Susan. I want to ask her if Eels are as popular here in the less gentrified corners of the East end as they seem to be a couple of miles up the road, but she’s run off her feet and I decide not to push my luck. I leave feeling a little queasy and none the wiser.
TUBBY ISACCS, E1
My stomach is doing cartwheels as we approach this famous Eel Stall just off Petticoat Lane Market. The first thing I notice is the price: £4 for a small portion, compared to £2.50 at G.Kelly and F.Cooke. ‘The price just keeps going up and I don’t know if we’re going to be able to carry on selling them’ says John, tending the stall today. ‘The problem is Eels are very popular in Germany and Japan and they’re willing to pay top dollar for them. There’s only so much we can pay. If you went to a restaurant you’d be looking at ten pounds for the same portion’.
What about the clientele? ‘The young people don’t really like Jellied Eels and most of the original East-enders don’t live around here any more, so the tradition is kind of dying out. It’s a shame but what can you do’.
John’s comments ring true with the image I had of the dish before I set out: A pre-war favourite in tandem decline with the small communities that once supported it. An acquired taste yet to catch on with the young and ethnically diverse population of the modern East end. Perhaps the future lies in the specialist market, snaring tourists at Borough who want to taste a little bit of ‘London’.
I bid John farewell and once out of sight, deposit the pricey Eels at the bottom of a bin on Whitechapel Road. They are truly one of the worst things I have ever put in my mouth (nudge nudge, wink wink). I decide to skip my final destination and head home, with a belly full of jelly.
I visited…..
F.Cooke – 9 Broadway Market, E8 4PH – 020 7254 6458
G.Kelly – 526 Roman Road,
E3 5ES – 020 8980 3165 – www.gkellypieandmash.co.uk
Tubby Isaacs – Goulston Street, E1
www.tubbyisaacs.co.uk
You might like to try….
M. Manze – 87 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 4TW – 020 7407 2985
www.manze.co.uk
M. Manze – 105 High Street, Peckham SE15 5RS – 020 7277 6181
F.Cooke – 150 Hoxton Street, N1 6SH – 020 7729 7718
G.Kelly – 600 Roman Road, E3 2RW
Tubby Isaacs – High street, Walthamstow, E17