What more could you want from a pie and mash hostess than a friendly smile and some convivial chat? Especially while you're waiting for the next bucket of liquor to be brought up from the engine room of Clark's in Exmouth Market. This was the scenario at the last meeting of the club on Friday 4th April 2003.

Apparently Dave, brother of Chas in Chas'n'Dave, but not the Dave, was on his lonesome own-some down there – his co-pie-lot Charlie (no relation to Chas nor Dave, I believe) had the day off. Business was booming on this sunny spring afternoon, and there was the customary eclectic mix of young and old, boot and suit, rude and pseud. Alas, a lack of dessert we found, so we had to make up with the savouries.

A glance at the latest stat's will tell the day's big story. Yes, a ridiculous 38 points, amassed by the girth-buster general, Mr Graham Darlow. A new record of course. The eels were good to firm but my pockets weren't deep enough to afford 4 portions, and I would guess that a good 15 guineas must have disappeared from the darlouvian wallet.

The day's other big shock was the non-appearance of the current champion, Mr Richard Lucas. He forgot. When I told him on the 'phone, there was a longer-than-usual silence as he tried vainly to digest the gristly truth – that he's going to be a washed up ex-champ come the season's end. A long walk on a desolate shore beckons.

We extended our welcome to Arthur Foulser, dapper typesetter extaordinaire, and James Savage, an ex-publishing colleague now at Am Int. If only you could put amnesty in a pie:

'I'd like to teach the world to eat / A plate of pie and mash'

Oh well, it's just a thought.

For the penultimate meeting of the season (Friday 25th April) we shall venture to Manze's, 87 Tower Bridge Road, SE1. It's the oldest Pie and Mash shop in the world ever.

Meet at the south bound bus stop (numbers 1 and 188 serve) on Waterloo Bridge at 12.45, otherwise 1.15 in the queue outside the shop.

Stattus