The Eel Pie Recording Studios, formerly Oceanic, were not located on the River Thames's Eel Pie Island but on the mainland in Ranelagh Drive by Twickenham Bridge. Originally a 1960s boathouse its riverside venue allowed Pete Townshend to commute there by boat having lost his driving licence. From 1981 the studios were run as a commercial operation and were the location for a number of notable rock and pop recordings. Eel Pie Studios' artists include Pete Townshend, A-ha, Rachel Fuller and Michael Cuthbert. In the 1990s, the studio was occupied by the band Cocteau Twins, who called it September Sound, and The Lightning Seeds. Pete Townshend sold the studios in 2008 and the building is now a private house.

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Coordinates: 51°27′44″N 0°19′09″W / 51.4623°N 0.3192°W / 51.4623; -0.3192

Pie and mash is a traditional London working-class food, originating in East London. Pie, mash and eel shops have been in London since the 19th century, and are still common in east and south east London and in many parts of Kent and Essex. The shops may serve either or both steamed and jellied eels.

History

During the Victorian era, industrial air pollution tended to be worse in the east and south east of London because of the prevailing westerly wind, with the result that the East End was settled more by the working classes, while the western part of the city was home to higher social classes. The working class were poor and favoured foodstuffs that were cheap, in plentiful supply and easy to prepare.

The savoury pie had long been a traditional food, and its small handsized form also made it a transportable meal, protected from dirt by its cold pastry crust. European eels baked in a pastry crust became a common worker's meal since eels were one of the few forms of fish that could survive in the heavily polluted River Thames and London's other rivers at that time. Supply was plentiful through to the late 1800s, particularly from the Dutch fishing boats landing catches at Billingsgate Fish Market. Adding cheap mashed potatoes made it a plate-based sit-down meal, and a sauce made of the water used to cook the eels, coloured and flavoured by parsley, made the whole dish something special.