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Earlier this week we reported on the sad passing of legendary Walthamstow pie shop L.Manze. The East London Grade II listed landmark had been an institution on the High Street serving wholesale and retail customers eager for the traditional delights of hot savoury pies, mash, liquer and eels for over 90 years until it closed its doors for good earlier this year.
Unsurprisingly the news has provoked a wave of fond memories and strong reactions for many on social media, once again proving what a hub of the community for decades L.Manze was.
The love for Manze went across multiple generations, Lynda remembers going there every Saturday with her late mum and then with her own children and grandchildren, she says ‘So sad, I know things have to change but they're not always for the better’.
Janice also went there in the 1950s and 60s with her mum, and for her as for many others, lunching out the shop was a tangible tie to happy times with family members that are no longer with us. Susan used to pop in whenever she visited Walthamstow market and declared it the ‘best pie and mash shop ever. So many happy memories.’ Mark phlegmatically notes that there was ' Lots going against it over the last couple of years sadly. Hopefully they can preserve the interior.' We hope so too, the tiles alone were a thing of beauty.
For others, their experience is a real slice of London history, Mick ate there often as a student at the art school in the sixties – hopefully wearing a black polo neck, skinny jeans and Lennon frames to complete the boho picture. Pam was also a big fan, reminiscing on the time when she lived in Walthamstow between 1944 and 1964 and says she partook of pie and mash regularly ‘It was the highlight of Saturday and I still love it now’. For Cy the connection was even more personal 'Albert Manze was a mate of mine and lived over the Peckham Hill Street shop.I must have eaten hundreds of pies. I’m talking about the 1940s-50s. Great memories.' Some heroic pie consumption there I think we can agree.
Experiences like Pam and Cy's remind us that despite all the bombing, rationing and damage of World War II, which hit London’s East End particularly hard, shops like L.Manze served a real purpose and somehow just kept on going.
Not everyone was as fulsome in their praise however with Stephen commenting that he 'Never liked their pie n mash, but preferred Noted Pie and Eel Leytonstone' – letting us down gently there, Stephen – but he goes on to observe that 'It is a sad reflection of these times that the youth prefer Nandos, Macdonalds and kebabs. Sad nonetheless'. Joan agrees saying 'Seems like all our traditional food places and pubs are disappearing fast. Such a shame!' while Alan opines that 'London has lost its soul'.
Jason makes the best point ‘ “This is awful” said all of the people who stopped going there.’ And that’s the thing that so many of the comments highlighted, that thriving businesses don’t close. If you want to keep the treasures on your doorstep then you need to love local.
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