The club was on the march as they headed westwards along the escarpment of the Uxbridge Road for a sojourn at Bush Pie & Mash, situated on the fringes of Shepherd’s Bush. Nearly two years have passed since our last trip, and since then they have introduced Sunday trading hours. As it was the day of the London Marathon, we sought to take advantage of this and hold our own competitive endurance event.

The athletes assembled at the counter, prior to the race. Fiona was serving at the counter ready to take down the orders, though she was a bit taken aback by the prospect of having to take down a hefty order from eleven hungry diners.

Since our previous visit, inflation has increased the prices on the menu somewhat. Although you can still purchase a double pie with mash and liquor, along with a tea or coffee for a tenner.

For Karen Ramos this visit was a sort of homecoming as she went to school in this area, frequently she was taken along with her class to Television Centre for studio tapings, including shows like 'Crackerjack!', unfortunately, she never did get the legendary Crackerjack pencil.

She was joined by her brother Stephen. Serendipitously, he copied his sibling by also partaking in a 1&1.

Some say the early bird catches the eel. This was the case for Douglas Benford who was a vision in tweed, as he eagerly seized the last portion of eels available in the shop. The reason for this dearth in supplies was due to the hordes of QPR fans who ordered up lashings of this delicacy, prior to yesterday’s home game at Loftus Road.

Doug was accompanied by his pal John Holdsworth, whom we last met at this very boutique on our last trip. Apparently during the early Eighties, he used to be a bass player for bands including the likes of The Herbs and The Adventures of Parsley. Given the culinary fare on offer, this sounded rather appropriate.

The club’s poster boy Edward Mosse joined us for his first appearance since Christmas. Seizing to the occasion, he donned his signature pie & mash t-shirt, although due to the below average temperatures that afternoon, this remained firmly covered up with his Wasps pullover.

Nearly two years have passed since Vikki Cole-Ricardson last dined with us at the marble tops. Lately, she has been dieting; although she has found enough room to a slot in a balanced meal of pie & mash into her internary. 

The pies were among the best I sampled this season (so far). The filling was rich, flavourful and succulent, with a decently baked pastry cooked to a golden finish. This was accompanied by a well-seasoned liquor and two scoops of mash, which would bristle the whiskers of the scoop police.

The only downside was that the fare was all crammed into a bowl which made it hard to eat. Golden Pie and Cockney’s also serve their pies this way, so this seems to be a local custom in these westerly parts of London.

Andy Saunders glided in at the belated time of 1:15pm. The reason for his tardiness was due to an unfortunate case of mistiming, as he arrived in the area too early. So, he bided his time by supping a half at the nearby boozer The Cunningham Arms before realising what time it was.

For Terry Moore, his journey was made easier by the resourceful east-west connection made possible by the Elizabeth Line, which makes journeys into the metropolis far more convenient for those seeking London’s culinary staple.

Your recorder was bravely grinning for the lens, despite the imposing fare laid before him, which was on the stodgier side of filling.

Our long-distance traveller Ray Goldstone meticulously organised his journey to join us, by taking multiple forms of transport including car, train and bus. That’s the equivalent of a ‘pie-athlon’ in sporting terms.

Due to Peter Harvey’s absence, Harry Limby readily took advantage of the situation, as he strode back into the lead. With the current season reaching its final furlong, the realistic clay pies trophy is now in plain sight!

(Right) The club in its natural habitat.

On Sunday’s only, in addition to pie & mash, the shop now also offers a range of dining options for the discerning diner, including roast chicken or beef with all the trimmings, along with boiled bacon and cabbage, that reflects on the owners’ Irish heritage. They also offer a wide range of desserts, which a good number of us took advantage of. Fiona had her work cut out as she received a deluge of orders via the dumb waiter.

The dessert fare echoed school dinner classics like sponge cake with custard, and jelly & ice cream, the latter which we have never seen in a pie & mash shop before. For the likes of Karen and Ray, this was a trip down culinary memory lane, at a time when sweets reigned supreme and health foods were an anathema.

Conversely, Doug went for the ‘healthier’ option of Apple Crumble with custard. The filling was packed with luscious apples, with a dense layer of crumble to top it off. When cut through the centre, it resembled a cliff face.

For Eddie however, he had jelly in his wellies.

Doug was quick to the task as he described the geological properties of his serving, which somewhat resembled a desert island surrounded in a never-ending ocean of custard. Such nautical themed titles like The Custard Pirate, 20,000 Leagues Under the Crumble or Treasure Pie-land rumbled about in my mind, as I consumed this delectable dish.

(Below) A selection of crimble crumble faces.

Since the shop is nearby to QPR’s stadium, on match days when home games occur, this shop is frequently filled to the rafters with supporters. And should a game start later in the evening, the shop’s opening hours extend to as late as 8pm.

Having passed the finish line, the triumphant athletes posed for a post-meal group photo.

Two minutes down the road from the shop is the Princess Victoria, named after Vikki’s namesake. Built in 1829, this glorious looking building with its palatial façade features an equally decorous interior that still sports a number of its original Victorian-era features including its horseshoe shaped bar, elaborate cornices and skylights.

Happy and Glorious

MG