These days a queue outside a pie shop is a good indicator of business health. For the pie and mash tourists of the Club, being in the queue is all part of the experience, especially at 87 Tower Bridge Road where homely aromas emanate via an open serving hatch onto the pavement. At 1.15 on a Friday lunchtime the ladies in emerald green were in full locomotion as trade reached its peak.

The various demands of the party caused a run on eels but even so, mine were delivered directly some five minutes after I ordered – the closest one gets to table service at a traditional pie and mash shop.

Mosse’s approach was theatrical as you might expect.

Although a bit underseasoned, these plump beauties were undoubtedly stewed from fresh.

Legendary foodstuff: a classic mash scrape set against a marble backdrop with fork and spoon. It’s the plate that could launch a thousand ships – the dish that launched a thousand shops.

With clattering cutlery and human hubbub combining in a unique acoustic environment of mirror, marble, tile, wood and stone, Manze's makes its own kind of music – surely sweet to the well-trained ear of field recordist, ambient musician and club colleague, Doug Benford [below centre]. I imagine an audio capture is on his to-do list, but meanwhile Doug's latest release 'For Now' is available from Confront Recordings.

Find out more about his work at http://douglasbenford.org.uk

Lo, our Club Champion Nick Everton eased himself into Season 18-19 with a modest 3 and 2, plus eels. Ray Goldstone boldly ordered extra mash but was unable to complete, incurring the Club’s notorious penalty points deduction. [See the rules].

Smithy joined us for a one-of-all as is his custom before jetting off to continue his never-ending-summer-of-retirement in the southern hemisphere. The man is never out of shorts.

Opposite me sat Tom Leader who asserted himself at the top of the league with a hefty two-of-all, aka 'a Noah’s Ark'. I offered to help him with the second pie but the prospect of 24 points proved too tempting for Leader, who often takes tea with his meal for extra heat.

With a fully laden Manze’s plate you can sometimes run a bit dry – if you ask nicely, most places will top you up with a bit more liquor at no extra charge. The pie itself was good quality. The mince filling needed a splash of vinegar but the case itself was impressive – such an improvement on what we had here when we first came in the late 90’s.

Let’s remind ourselves of the function of this item – no, it’s not borrowed from Manze’s kitchen, but is verifiable property of the club, the Wooden Spoon of Underachievement, which has been awarded at the end of every season since 1995. With the fresh inscription of ‘Ian Burr 17–18’ to the hall of infamy, time and space is running out for this longstanding accessory of the Pie and Mash League.

Pie and Mash is a popular staple of the working man. Seen here, Steve Biondini, former Kentish Towner, now Old Kent Roadster and friend of the Club, ordering a 4-pie take-out at the end of his shift.

This ceaseless flow of pies stems from one enterprising Italian immigrant, Michele Manze, who threw open the doors of number 87 to hungry customers over 125 years ago.

If he stepped inside to day, he’d find it all pretty much as he left it aside from a general scruffiness to the punters, strip lights and a tariff expressed in pounds rather than pennies.

I’m not sure if the emerald smocks are authentically Victorian, but the presence of ‘dinner ladies’ definitely creates a refectory cosiness and sense of being looked after.

It’s a powerhouse of social fabric and a tonic for anyone who thinks Bermondsey has 'gone to shit'.

We saved the cheddar till last.

The cheese board then made its way towards Borough along Tabard Street to enjoy further Victorian hospitality at The Royal Oak – a Harvey's hostelry providing a taste of the Sussex countryside within these city walls.

‘Best’

St@