I believe it was The Carpenters who once sang:

'All the best memories
Come back clearly to me
Like some good
old-fashioned pies . . .
And wooden floors —
It's Deptford Day once more.'

Yes, spring had sprung most daffodilightfully for our annual homage to Goddard's of Deptford. What an antidote to central London this unassuming little High Street is, and you could say that the interior of this shop is an antidote to the 21st Century. Our triumphal and noisy entrance was pre-empted by an exclamatory "You're late!" from Tom Leader, sat at the head table of the dining room like a school-master of mash.

Our host was the genial, polite and knowledgeable Clive (right), who was able to impart some valuable nuggets of local history, as well as pies. What a gent he was, he even let me have a look around the kitchen. It was an impeccable environment for the preparation of fresh food, and we were soon onto that subject of the moment, Jamie Oliver's School Dinners. I must be one of many forced to revise their opinion of le gastro-chav with his campaign to put real food back into the mouths of the kids.

Do they dish up 'afters' at school these days? If so, it's unlikely to be traditional spotted dick and custard, like what you get here. Book early to avoid chagrin.

Clive was in the mood to share a few tips in the art of traditional pie-making — it's all to do with not overfilling the pie — but I couldn't help wondering if his awesome-looking oven held the ultimate secret to Life, the Universe and Everything. In any event this sturdy contraption looks set to survive any impending planetary demolition.

We could easily have stayed the rest of the afternoon, but work commitments beckoned, despite numerous tempting diversions en route to the station.

Highly recommended.