While they're certainly not as popular as they were in Victorian times – when the River Thames teemed with the fish, and eels cooked and cooled in their own gelatinous stock were a cheap city favourite – there’s still a place for this snack in many Londoners' hearts. In fact, it would be remiss to visit an East End pie and mash shop without tucking into a plate piled high with pie, mashed potatoes and jellied eels.

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Last updated by Natasha Lovell-Smith.

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