Spring was in the air as we descended on Wanstead. Formerly a village in the Becontree hundred of Essex, nowadays it’s a bustling town within the expanses of Greater London, situated along the mighty A12 route with its constant flow of traffic. Despite this, it still retains a quaint bucolic charm.

It was our fourth visit to this southerly branch of the Robins empire, which first opened in 2009. Over four years have passed since our last trip back in February 2020, when we visited the shop as part of a triple header of shops situated along the Central Line.

Robins are well known for their small pies, which we dub competition sized. Andy Saunders took advantage of this opportunity, as he prepared to demolish his first course.

Meanwhile, his fellow ‘com-pie-titor’ Terry Moore went for his usual, a double helping of pies with two scrapes of mash. Washed down with an imposing pint of orange squash.

Your scribe was brimming with excitement with the prospect of a formidable 3&1 laid before him. Surely a great opportunity to rake in the points.

We first met Colin Price at this very shop on our previous visit. Since this place is relatively near to his abode in Barkingside, he could claim it as his local.

The pies were resplendent in goodness, with a deliciously succulent filling encased in a golden-brown pastry that was easy to cut through. Although it was slightly marred by the liquor which was a tad under-seasoned.

Over in the conservatory, Karen Ramos sportingly took advantage with the lack of eels in supply that lunchtime, by fortuitously ordering the last portion of jellied eels.

Harry Limby was eager at the thought of a massive points haul. At pole position in the league, it was the ideal opportunity to assert his dominance over the competition.

Meanwhile, the Harveys embraced café culture by dining al-fresco. Ace was shoring up the energy reserves for an intense course of revision ahead of the upcoming GCSEs in a few weeks. A hearty portion of pie & mash is the ideal brain food.

Peter was aspiring to be top of the form, as he began his conquest of the pies, in a bid to topple Limby from pole position.

Robins is unique for being the only pie & mash franchise that offers poached salmon as an alternative meal option. Nick Evans readily seized the opportunity and ordered up a unique combo of pie, mash and salmon for his repast. Despite suggestions to add 'Salmon' to his overall point score, this idea fell on fish ears.

For the first time in club history, we were accompanied by a canine presence. The Harveys brought along their dog Oscar to the proceedings. Despite the tempting offer of pie & mash; ultimately, he went for the non-point scoring option of dog biscuits instead.

Since the shop was built on the site of a former estate agents, space was on the limited side. However, the new owners took the ingenious decision of adding a covered outdoor dining area by the side of the shop, which was eventually turned into a permanent glass-house structure, that doubles up on the seating capacity.

For afters, the shop offers a small range of options to tempt the tastebuds, such as Sticky Toffee Pudding with custard.

There was plenty of enthusiasm around, from those who had some room left to spare.

Alternatively, Apple Pie is also available. This delectable dessert is filled to the brim with cinnamon spiced apples, and topped off with a sugar glazed coating. Apparently, all branches of Robins sell this particular dessert option.

A full custard eclipse.

The long-arm of the clock was edging close to 2pm, as our weary diners downed their cutlery. The excesses of competitive eating had taken its toll, but for Peter it had paid off as by the end of play he had impressively consumed 6 pies, 4 mash and 3 liquor, narrowly edging himself to the summit of the league table.

Tina (right) was serving by the counter that day. She has worked at various Robins branches since she was 11, where she began her long service by cleaning tables at the former East Ham shop. Over time she has progressed onto other duties, including pie-making. She was ably assisted that day by her daughter Chole (left) who works here on a part-time basis.

This painting of the shop was done shortly after it opened. Tina informed us that it was painted by a local student for a school-art project.

The Travelling Pieburys

Before we went homeward bound, we took advantage of the glorious Spring sunshine by quaffing a few tipples in the pub garden at The George. An imposing two-storey Victorian-era boozer, it has been part of the Wetherspoons group since 1992.

MG