Conservative former minister Richard Holden claims that despite being the “original fast food,” the dish, which consists of minced beef pie and mashed potatoes with parsley liquor, has so far been “underappreciated.”
According to Defra, a formal application for TSG status necessitates agreement on the recipe that producers must adhere to in order to utilize the brand going forward. After the application is filed, they will evaluate the matter.
Mr. Holden will chair a legislative debate in Westminster Hall on Tuesday to advance his cause of getting the “recognition they deserve” for “cracking” products. He has written to 40 MPs in an attempt to get support for his cause.
Mr. Holden said PA that although the dish originated in London, it has now traveled “down the Thames Gateway and out into the world”.
Additionally, he explained that eels were “no longer there” due to pollution in the Thames River during the Industrial Revolution, therefore mince was used in their place.
“It’s important that they preserved the liquor from the original egg pie, which is why you have the parsley sauce,” Mr. Holden explained. “Traditionally, parsley liquor would have always accompanied a fish dish.”
