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In the kind of story that reminds you why you love London, a stolen till at Grade II-listed East End greasy spoon E Pellicci was found by local hero Charlotte Sellers and carried back to safety by her and butcher Peter Sargent.
The break-in happened around 5.30am on Friday morning (April 6) when thieves threw a paving stone through E Pellicci’s window and made off with a cash till. More than 80 years old, the tills have huge sentimental value and are a part of the much-loved caff’s antique look.
Later that day, Charlotte Sellers, a Spitalfields Antiques Market trader, was in the butcher next door and told owner Peter Sargent that she’d spotted a till lying abandoned in nearby Florida Street. Together they returned the till to E Pellicci. The best bit? The thieves hadn’t even worked out how to open the thing.
The Instagram post about this very happy ending has had nearly a thousand likes at the time of writing, with around 200 comments from locals celebrating. Anna Sereno (one of the owners of E Pellicci) said it reminded her of ‘the fantastic community spirit that still exists’. ‘There’s the odd 0.01 percent,’ she said, ‘but it reminds you that 99.9 percent of people are so, so lovely.’
E Pellicci is in our round-up of London’s best greasy spoons. Check out the whole list here.
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