Date of visit: 25th Apr 2026
 Score: 7/10

Pie and Mash

I don’t really like writing bad reviews and I contemplated just leaving this one out. I also thought about stopping the blog. But life is not always a bed of roses. And opinions differ.

I’d been in Maureen’s a few hours earlier and had P&M already. But I was on a diet cheat day and when I cheat, I tend to large it. I intended to tackle Eastenders on the same day which is around the corner from Maureen’s. I did some shopping in Brick Lane and got a half of bitter in the Pride of Spitalfields. Then I decided it would be better to walk to Kelly & Sons instead of going back to Eastenders. Life is hard. Eastenders will have to wait.

Samuel Robert Kelly opened this shop and it has been trading since 1915. The Kelly family were one of the “big three” pie shop families in the east end. . You can also find G. Kelly on Roman Road not too far from this one.

S. R. Kelly is in a very diverse area. The road has changed a lot since I lived nearby in Mile End. I used to walk to Bethnal Green to use the Tesco and the market. Now the shops are very different indeed, but people still want their pie and mash.

The small shop has pews and counters. The food is kept hot in a metal barrel with a gas burner underneath. The pies are made on-site and are authentic. The double pie and mash with tea cost £10.90 – very reasonable.

The staff are very friendly and polite (which makes knocking off marks even more difficult for me). Perhaps they were just having a bad day. The shop was empty when I arrived. I ordered a double pie and mash with liquor and a mug of tea.

The tea was huge and of builder’s quality. The P&M was not as good as I expected. The liquor was somewhat bland and the pastry was tough in places. On the bottom, it was al dente. It took me a while to associate this word with it. I’m afraid I need to knock two marks off for taste and one for presentation.

Inside the pie

If you look hard enough you can see the white in the pastry. I didn’t make notes on the vinegar, but chilli vinegar was available. Still, this one gets 7/10. The pies are authentic, and are reasonably priced and sized. Other reviewers list this shop as their favourite, so if you are in any doubt, why don’t you go and try them for yourself?

S. R. Kelly & Sons
284 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E2 0AG
Tel: 020 7739 8676
Web: s-r-kelly-sons.edan.io
Hours: 0930-1400 Tue-Sat
Cash only