A man who sampled David Beckham's favourite pie and mash shop was left with a succinct one-word verdict. Content creator Peter Green, known online as GreenoEats, visited Tony's Pie and Mash in Waltham Cross to discover why the former England captain holds the eatery in such high regard.
David, 51, is known for his pride in his East London roots and has even been spotted dining there with his son Romeo. Peter opted for the classic combination of pie, mash and liquor—a parsley sauce—as well as pie, mash and gravy. His total bill came to just £17.45, including a cup of tea and a dessert.
Peter began with the pie and liquor, adding chili vinegar and black pepper. He praised the mash for being “good and thick” without feeling “lumpy.” He commented, “That pepper and little bit of chili vinegar, that hits the spot, it really does hit the spot,” in a video review.
Turning to the minced beef pie, he described it as “comfort food at its finest.” He added, “The liquor has that lovely parsley taste, it’s got the kind of thick…it’s a bit gelatinous the sauce, kind of gloopy, but the flavour of it just works.” When it came to the beef mince pie, his verdict was simple: “phenomenal.”
After sampling the liquor, Peter moved on to the gravy, likening the choice of sauces to a north/south divide. He said, “That’s a really nice, rich, flavoursome gravy that. It’s really thick, a similar consistency to the liquor, it’s got a really good flavour, like an onion gravy without the onion in it. If you got that in a chippy, you’d be really happy.”
He described it as a “tough call” deciding whether he preferred liquor or gravy. He finished his meal with a school cake and custard, calling it “proper traditional grub.” He noted, “The actual quality of the pie and mash was really good. The pies themselves, lovely and soft on the bottom, crispy on the top, you can actually ask for more burnt ones as well, if that’s your thing and you want it really, really crispy, that burnt flavour no problem.”
When weighing up his preference, Peter concluded: “Overall, I think I preferred the liquor, it just adds a little bit more lightness to it. The gravy was great, that's the sort of thing I would probably be more likely to make at home.”
Former Manchester United star David is not the only famous face to have enjoyed Tony's Pie and Mash. Television hardman Danny Dyer has also spoken fondly of the shop, which caters for his beloved West Ham United. When asked about his favourite restaurant by Rolling Stone, the Rivals star said: “I’m very much a basic man so it would be Tony’s Pie and Mash Shop from Waltham Abbey. I have a double double, loads of liquor, laced with chili vinegar, that’s important, and white pepper. It’s a lovely restaurant in Waltham Abbey and it hasn’t changed for like 100 years. It’s the same tiles and little benches. There’s nothing quite like a pie and mash to start your day.”
