Apologies for the lack of photo-reportage of late. If anybody has one of those digital contraptions please bring it along; it will add sauce to an otherwise dry report. Our trip to Manze's on 24th October was a pleasant autumnal excursion, made merrier by the unexpected appearance of reigning chomp Mr Graham Darlow. He appeared magically out of nowhere onto the Tower Bridge Road like that shifty shopkeeper out of Mr Ben – minus the fez of course. Adding a touch of antipodean glamour to the event was Miss Melanie Fowles; rather fortunate for her that she arrived late and didn't have to sit at the same marble-top as us lot. Sadly for the world of p-n-m, she has since returned to the culinarily-challenged township of Melbourne. Our sympathies are with her at this difficult time . . .

Ordering eels at this shop can be a bit complicated – it was decided that 2 large eels = 4 small eels, though point accumulation was not the intention of your statistician on this occasion. The fishy dishes were dispatched greenly – the hot sauce was nowhere in sight. At the other end of the table a himalaya of mash was casting long shadows, but Rikk Lucas was equal to the ascent in his all-weather leather. The sun was hanging low in the sky by the time we got out.

Our trip on Friday 14th November is to F. Cooke's of 150 Hoxton Street; yes, a new challenge, though I've heard this is a pleasant pie shop. The Waterloo contingent will be making its way from the Tower Building at 12.45pm, thence to Bank, thence to Old Street on the tubular, thence to the shop by Shank's Pony. An alternative is the 243 bus to the Geffrye Museum on Kingsland Road, followed by a 5-minute ride on the Two-Foot Taxi. Let's say we'll meet you in there at 1.20pm.

Statisticus