The first Saturday of November 2017 was set aside expressly for an exploration of Basildon's pie and mash landscape. The away team comprised eight travellers from the rail head at Fenchurch Street. Surprisingly, this most English of journeys was enabled by ´Trenitalia c2c' — what would the Victorians have made of it?

The party emerged at Pitsea Station onto a drear, rain-smudged South Essex vista dominated by asphalt. With cartography courtesy of Google and Co. Ltd, they resolutely navigated retail park, roundabout and suburban sprawl in search of Stacey's Corner.

The locale was reached and the eponymous pie and mash shop entered into. We were greeted by friend of the club, friend of the people and Stanford-le-Hopeful, Terry Cecil.

As you can see from the comprehensive bill of fare, Stacey's of Timberlog Lane covers most of the bases in its role as neighbourhood pie and mash shop-cum-cafeteria.

Man of England Nick Everton took a table to himself in order to give his championship elbows full expression.

Modest Max Forbes's matchday gambit was mash-free, plus a cup of tea.

[Right] My modest opener. I would have liked more.

After a half-hour hike, Ray was eager to engage with the task at hand.

Cecil dispatched his scran with an enthusiastic flourish.

What a pleasant surprise it was to be hailed by this family of food fanciers at Fenchurch Street. The Harveys of E17 will be known to regular readers of the column, who may remember Charlotte as the League's youngest competitor. Her appetite for the ambrosial scoff remains undiminished at age 9. Mum Inderpal sportingly joined in the feastivities.

Last season's silver spooner Mr Mike Goldwater attacked the first round of the day with alacrity, but we all of us had to rein in rampant appetites for a three-parter with a half hour interval between Acts One and Two.

A taste of Stacey's; the pie and mash on offer here carries more than a hint of McDowells of Romford.

Stacey's ladies [l to r] Lynne, Kari and Zoe — at that vital, yet oft-overlooked, part of any catering enterprise. She has probably washed more dishes than you've had hot dinners.

Some might balk at the prospect of a menu offering fry-ups, burgers, and hot dogs, and their mash administered with a scoop, but this modest establishment serves admirably the needs of the local community for plain and unpretentious grub.

It's suburban pie and mash with a heart.

Terry kindly offered to shuttle us into the downtown area, but we were up for the walk. Unfortunately — and lucky for us — he got caught up in a snarl-up on the Basildon orbital and we didn't see him for the rest of the day.

Navigation proceeded smoothly until we reached the pedestrian precinct itself, but the newly fitted premises of Lawson's eventually hove into view.

Opened earlier this year, and occupying a generously-proportioned double-fronted unit, there is very little about this shop that's old-fashioned, apart from the dish itself — and maybe some of the clientele, us included. The ceiling is exposed in the industrial style, the staff are decked out in team baseball caps, and the lighting is low-level lamps plus those trendy filament bulbs.

As before, there was plenty of space around Everton's midfield area.

Max Forbes attacked her second pie of the day with a knife and fork. But if there's a knife to hand, why not use it?

From this angle, a very familiar view of a traditional dish. But as you can see, the liquor is packed with a hedgeful of parsley cuttings. I thought the mash was missing a little bit of savor, although the texture was spot-on, and the pies were made to high production standards.

Walthamstow's wunderkind took on a half bowl of eels, showing the completeness of her game.

Pie-punching, bell-banging dad Pete weighed in with his second double-double of the day.

The chances are you've never been anywhere quite like this. There's a nice 'mood wall' on the right as you enter. Unobtrusive upbeat music indicates that you are in a fast food outlet. I was slightly disconcerted by queuing, ordering my food, and then taking a seat and having it delivered to me by the staff. But it's a minor quibble, and it does mean you can choose your spot hands-free. Altogether, it's as if Lawson's have taken pie and mash and hurled it confidently into the 21st Century.

[Below] Lawson's have taken their inspiration from the Pie and Mash League with this innovative points leader board inviting local talent to 'reach for the pies'. Billy Shelts appears to be Basildon's Biggest Eater to date with a chunky 51 points under his belt. But it's the 41-er from Big Suz that caught my eye.

'Lets smash some mash ' were the words of the Friday nighters in the background of this scene. It's a pretty good place to go for lunch-after-the-night-before.

As you can see there are tiles, marble and wooden booths to be found in this ultra-modern milieu.

Captain-of-the-team Andy Lawson was as keen as mustard to get our views on his bold new venture. Opening a third pie and mash shop in Basildon is an audacious move, but Andy's got a pie-degree: his dad learned the trade from Les at Noted of E11, and ran the Rosemary Road, Clacton shop for some years, before ending his career with Lawson's of Wickford.

[Below, l to r] Lawson's ladies, Vikki, Chantelle [18 on the day] and Michaela.

Andy gave me a quick tour behind the scenes.

[Right] Lawson's liquor is augmented with freshly chopped sprigs of parsley just before serving for extra-verdant vigor.

[Below] Scenes from below stairs and upstairs: the genuine kit and caboodle of an in-house pie and mash workshop.

Andy Lawson and his team have taken a great deal of care and paid attention to detail in this vibrant re-imagining of the genre. With a 'wow factor' that hits you as soon as you set foot inside, this could be a template for a thoroughly modern franchise. Worthy of your biggest thumbs-up and most favourable emoticons.

We traversed the precinct in search of the market end of town for a completely different take on the pie and mash franchise — a branch of the famous Robins empire. A tiled exterior, wood-framed windows and brightly-lit refectory — complete with orange squash dispenser — all contribute to an environment hospitable and welcoming to anyone brung up on East End p-n-m. But as we've seen over the years, Robins has gradually withdrawn its operations in East London, apart from a solitary outpost at Wanstead.

The fare was reliably Robins, and by this stage most of us were glad of the modest proportions of their mince-and-gravy vehicle. Having just read Mayhew's ´Of Street Piemen', I wondered if it represents the closest interpretation of the costermonger's penny pie of old.

The black and white tiles and bunting are classic Robins decor.

This branch of Robins boasts a superb memorabilia shelf, with portraits of celebrity A-listers Lineker, Beadle, Windsor and Tarrant getting a regular touch of the feather duster.

The finishing touches were made to scoresheet and styrofoam cup alike. It was a day devoid of desserts, apart from Nick Everton's crafty scoop of Lawson's ice cream. It was enough to secure him top score of the day with a weighty forty-eighter.

Our spotless catering team this Saturday were [l to r] Taylor, Daniel, plus Taylor's mum Kerry.

Some like it extra-hot.

By the time the tables were cleared, Goldwater was hitting his famous carbohydrate wall.

As with other branches of Robins, you know exactly what to expect. The attention to detail is in recreating the post-war pie and mash dining experience, and this shop offers a comforting beacon for all the Cockney sparrers who've followed the eastwards migratory path into Essex.

A brisk walk around the market, followed by a snifter in The Moon on the Square — the local Wetherspoons — was the fitting end to this Tale of One City and Three Pie Shops. If you're a pie and mash explorer, mark Basildon on your pie charts as essential.

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