On the cusp of the Spring Equinox, the Club descended on the market town of Waltham Abbey. Named after its religious landmark, it has been a place of worship since the 7th century and is believed to be the final resting place of King Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.

Just over seven years has passed since we last visited Tony’s. In that time, the shop has moved a few doors down, and has undergone a radical makeover.

Tony’s is normally at its busiest on Saturday lunchtimes. Rather predictably, queues were forming outside the door as customers came in their droves looking to be served. The staff intrepidly processed dozens of orders from the baying weekend crowd.

Len Wilcock was back in town, in-between referee duties. Although no longer a regular at club meetings, he still maintains his competitive streak and by the end of play he managed to clock up an impressive 4-4-2 (30 points).

Billows of steam formed over Nick Evans’ plate as he waited for a suitable temperature to plunge into the pies.

Eels jellied, eels stewed, some like them viscous, some like them slick. Cold or hot, take your pick.

For the likes of Evans, the addition of Ghost Chilli hot-sauce to the jellies, gave a roundhouse kick right up the taste-buds.

For others, lashings of chilli-vinegar provide a pertinent tanginess to the dish. Richard Lucas deftly doused his plate with a level of prowess that only comes with thirty years of experience. He was appropriately adorned with a double-headed eagle - a heraldic symbol representing both power and sovereignty.

Keith Allwright was clocking in with his usual 2&2 portion. He’s had an impressive debut season so far, consistently maintaining third place on the league table.

Despite only attending five meetings this season; Paul Chrysanthou is miles ahead of the competition. His impressive dexterity and sizeable appetite have not been witnessed since the glory days of Charlambous and Everton.

After waiting in the queue for what seemed an eternity, Andy March collected his spoils, sitting down to a hefty pie, eel and double mash combo. Wearing his ‘civilian’ clothes I almost failed to recognise him, as he used to attend our meetings in uniform with fellow members of the Lapis Magnes Lodge No. 5024 back in a previous decade.

The pies were on the saltier side of savoury on this occasion. Hopefully this was only a momentary lapse in quality control.

Always prepared for the occasion, Peter Harvey had a vial of White Pepper tucked into his holster. For those flavour nerds out there, it has a milder and more fragrant taste than Black Pepper, since the outer layer is removed before drying.

Despite liberally seasoning the plate with pepper and hot-sauce, Ace couldn’t quite manage the intense saltiness emitting from the pies. So, Peter helpfully stepped in and gobbled up the rest of the contents, racking up a girthsome 28 points.

After a nine-month absence, the dynamic duo of Harry Limby and Karen Ramos were back dining with us at the marble tops. They were accompanied by their friend Mick Edridge, who devoured his first taste of the ambrosial scoff.

Six-time champ Lucas was keen to offer helpful tips to his eager apprentice, who is currently seeking to gain a black-belt in the noble art of competitive pie & mash eating.

The shop’s rebranded look somewhat lacks the charm and warmth of its predecessor. The exposed industrial pipe motif is a common feature in most modern restaurants, which reminded me of our visit to Lawson’s in Basildon back in November 2017, where the trendiness of its upbeat canteen setup proved a tad disconcerting to the overall dining experience.

For afters, there is a wide array of dessert options to choose from, including apple crumble and a raft of school cakes with various toppings including Strawberry & Coconut, Chocolate and White Icing & Sprinkles.

For the nostalgia seeker, the glory days of school dinners come flooding back as you dine on these sentimental childhood puddings.

The extensive gallery of boxing memorabilia is a hold-over from their former premises. Which serves as a reminder to owner Tony Lane’s former career as a boxer, before he turned to pie-making.

30 years have passed since he first set up business in this area. In that time, Tony's has become an iconic culinary institution, popular with locals and celebrities alike.

The Abbey Prizefighters

After a post-pie tipple, we took the scenic route back to the station along the River Lee Navigation, to digest and contemplate of thoughts away from the incessant rumble of motor traffic on the A121.

MG