Can confirm no stalls here in Warrington, plenty of chips and gravey.
Remember as a kid going to the fish shop near the elephant and Castle on Sunday mornings with my dad to get all sorts of strange looking smelly fishy looking stuff though 😉
I was saying to my Mrs last night that me and my brother would go down to the one Peter Darkins had outside The Horse years ago, with a list from my nan or dad, and get Sunday tea. This was long before Peter eventually ended up running the pub itself. Can remember us all sitting round in the living room and getting the winkles out their shells with pins from my mums sewing box.
Also, 2 of my good friends had a go at running one up outside The Woodman, Blackfen. Think it lasted a couple of years before both their Mrs started having kids and they didn't get the time to carry it on.
Maybe it being popular in London had something to do with London being a port years ago and also having Billingsgate Market to hand? I just always assumed it was popular all over the UK, a bit like fish & chip shops.
My mate Jason's old man used to run the stall outside the Woodman and he took it over for while back in the 80's. Never really been a fan of shellfish but don't mind cockles or prawns every now and then.
Growing up on Abbey Wood Estate, we had a regular guy in a van coming around (I think on Sundays) selling seafood. From memory his cry used to be "Shrimps and Winkles". Shrimps were like miniscule Prawns. Almost too small to justify the effort. I do remember eating winkles. God knows why. Used to have to prize them out of the shell with a sewing needle or something. They looked like something you would pick out of your nose. Probably tasted like it as well. There seemed to be a constant stream of vendors or tradesmen passing through. The Faggot Man (not an American euphemism), Toffee Apple Man, The Walls Ice Cream man, Mr. Whippy, Rossi, Tonibell, Corona soft drinks, Mackintosh's soft drinks, The Old Gypsy woman calling "Rag and Bone", The Milkman, The Baker, The Dustman and the Coalman. Probably forgot some. Sorry, I digress.
I was saying to my Mrs last night that me and my brother would go down to the one Peter Darkins had outside The Horse years ago, with a list from my nan or dad, and get Sunday tea. This was long before Peter eventually ended up running the pub itself. Can remember us all sitting round in the living room and getting the winkles out their shells with pins from my mums sewing box.
Also, 2 of my good friends had a go at running one up outside The Woodman, Blackfen. Think it lasted a couple of years before both their Mrs started having kids and they didn't get the time to carry it on.
Maybe it being popular in London had something to do with London being a port years ago and also having Billingsgate Market to hand? I just always assumed it was popular all over the UK, a bit like fish & chip shops.
My mate Jason's old man used to run the stall outside the Woodman and he took it over for while back in the 80's. Never really been a fan of shellfish but don't mind cockles or prawns every now and then.
Growing up on Abbey Wood Estate, we had a regular guy in a van coming around (I think on Sundays) selling seafood. From memory his cry used to be "Shrimps and Winkles". Shrimps were like miniscule Prawns. Almost too small to justify the effort. I do remember eating winkles. God knows why. Used to have to prize them out of the shell with a sewing needle or something. They looked like something you would pick out of your nose. Probably tasted like it as well. There seemed to be a constant stream of vendors or tradesmen passing through. The Faggot Man (not an American euphemism), Toffee Apple Man, The Walls Ice Cream man, Mr. Whippy, Rossi, Tonibell, Corona soft drinks, Mackintosh's soft drinks, The Old Gypsy woman calling "Rag and Bone", The Milkman, The Baker, The Dustman and the Coalman. Probably forgot some. Sorry, I digress.
My (grown up) kids just laughed when I said we had an onion man in Bromley - it got worse when I told them he sold from his bicycle - and when I explained he came from France I thought they were gonna have seizures.
They said 'did he have a beret and a stripey shirt?' And I replied, 'Actually ... Yes he did!'
It’s south east mostly with seafood stalls obviously available at seaside harbours. Go north of Watford and you’ll be hard pressed to find much in the way of shellfish unless you’re at the seaside.
Growing up on Abbey Wood Estate, we had a regular guy in a van coming around (I think on Sundays) selling seafood. From memory his cry used to be "Shrimps and Winkles". Shrimps were like miniscule Prawns. Almost too small to justify the effort. I do remember eating winkles. God knows why. Used to have to prize them out of the shell with a sewing needle or something. They looked like something you would pick out of your nose. Probably tasted like it as well. There seemed to be a constant stream of vendors or tradesmen passing through. The Faggot Man (not an American euphemism), Toffee Apple Man, The Walls Ice Cream man, Mr. Whippy, Rossi, Tonibell, Corona soft drinks, Mackintosh's soft drinks, The Old Gypsy woman calling "Rag and Bone", The Milkman, The Baker, The Dustman and the Coalman. Probably forgot some. Sorry, I digress.
My uncle in Leeds, would go around the pubs & clubs selling sea food at the weekends, also one of the lads in our football team down here, did the same thing.
Growing up on Abbey Wood Estate, we had a regular guy in a van coming around (I think on Sundays) selling seafood. From memory his cry used to be "Shrimps and Winkles". Shrimps were like miniscule Prawns. Almost too small to justify the effort. I do remember eating winkles. God knows why. Used to have to prize them out of the shell with a sewing needle or something. They looked like something you would pick out of your nose. Probably tasted like it as well. There seemed to be a constant stream of vendors or tradesmen passing through. The Faggot Man (not an American euphemism), Toffee Apple Man, The Walls Ice Cream man, Mr. Whippy, Rossi, Tonibell, Corona soft drinks, Mackintosh's soft drinks, The Old Gypsy woman calling "Rag and Bone", The Milkman, The Baker, The Dustman and the Coalman. Probably forgot some. Sorry, I digress.
Growing up on Abbey Wood Estate, we had a regular guy in a van coming around (I think on Sundays) selling seafood. From memory his cry used to be "Shrimps and Winkles". Shrimps were like miniscule Prawns. Almost too small to justify the effort. I do remember eating winkles. God knows why. Used to have to prize them out of the shell with a sewing needle or something. They looked like something you would pick out of your nose. Probably tasted like it as well. There seemed to be a constant stream of vendors or tradesmen passing through. The Faggot Man (not an American euphemism), Toffee Apple Man, The Walls Ice Cream man, Mr. Whippy, Rossi, Tonibell, Corona soft drinks, Mackintosh's soft drinks, The Old Gypsy woman calling "Rag and Bone", The Milkman, The Baker, The Dustman and the Coalman. Probably forgot some. Sorry, I digress.
Possibly just dealers now
Haha, is it that bad now? I still tend to view it through rose tinted specs. Even though I have lived in Dorset longer (35 years) than I did in London (33 years) part of me still thinks of Abbey Wood as home. Of course, when we moved to Abbey Wood from Woolwich in 1958, Abbey Wood was still the border between London and Kent. To the north beyond the border of the southern outfall sewer bank was still semi derelict Royal Arsenal land and to the east Erith Marshes was mostly fields and farmland all the way to the Belvedere Gas Holders. No Thamesmead back then. Just a big adventure playground for a young lad!
Jellied Eels, and licour, watching the old boy chop them up live in the window of Manzes Woolwich New Rd. Then the old people taking their teeth out to suck up the last bits when they had had a bowl full. 5 star dining 60s style
I was saying to my Mrs last night that me and my brother would go down to the one Peter Darkins had outside The Horse years ago, with a list from my nan or dad, and get Sunday tea. This was long before Peter eventually ended up running the pub itself. Can remember us all sitting round in the living room and getting the winkles out their shells with pins from my mums sewing box.
Also, 2 of my good friends had a go at running one up outside The Woodman, Blackfen. Think it lasted a couple of years before both their Mrs started having kids and they didn't get the time to carry it on.
Maybe it being popular in London had something to do with London being a port years ago and also having Billingsgate Market to hand? I just always assumed it was popular all over the UK, a bit like fish & chip shops.
My mate Jason's old man used to run the stall outside the Woodman and he took it over for while back in the 80's. Never really been a fan of shellfish but don't mind cockles or prawns every now and then.
Jellied Eels, and licour, watching the old boy chop them up live in the window of Manzes Woolwich New Rd. Then the old people taking their teeth out to suck up the last bits when they had had a bowl full. 5 star dining 60s style
Used to stand and stare through that window fascinated. I think me and my brother used to ask our Mum to take us there whenever we were in the vicinity. Never did like jellied eels though. Revolting!
Funny, I've never progressed to whelks or winkles and prefer the jelly to the eels, but when it comes to cockles, prawns, mussels, crayfish tails etc I'm well up for it. And, dressed crab is one of my all time favourites .
It's not outside a pub, (although they are a couple of doors along from a micropub) but I usually go to these people
It is an old London tradition, associated with its working class, sadly dying out now. The Anchor and Hope has a nice seafood/shell fish stall. I recall getting the winkles with my nan from outside our local in Islington as a boy. A fair bit of work teasing them out of the shell without breaking them using a saftey pin. Delicious though. I developed a taste for seafood and am one of the few who loves Whelks.
Yes it stems from the times that eels were plentiful in the Thames
I remember a fish shop in The Broadway Bexleyheath that had a tank of eels, they looked revolting and I've never wanted to try jellied eels, but love cockles, crab and prawns.
Until a few years ago a bloke would come round our local on Fridays with a basket flogging seafood. Nothing too strange about that, though one of his other jobs was driving the massive de-icing machines at Heathrow they spray planes with in winter. A decent portfolio career, that.
Out of my closest 10 or so pubs at least 2 possibly 3 of them have regular seafood stalls. there's also a Caribbean food stall that goes to one of them each week. A few years back where i used to live there used to be a bloke with a basket of shell fish that would come into each of the pubs on the weekend to sell his wares. As i've never lived outside of the south east i just thought this was normal. Surprised to hear its not.
The bloke who used to do all the local pubs around Plumstead (the Star), the Bull Shooters Hill and many other local pubs is a Charlton fan. Not seen him around for a while. I am not sure of his name, nice guy.
There is a seafood van outside the Old Mill, Plumstead Common now at weekends apparently.
As I have mentioned a few times I worked on one of the two seafood stalls in Woolwich market way back in the early 80's. "Cockles! Get your cockles, 30 pence half a pint 'ere!" Used to yell it all day long. Hated putting my hands in to the whelk tubs. Used to stink going home on the 96... people used to sit down next to me and then get up and move seats after a few mins. Didnt help that i was carrying leftovers home with me for my Dad and some of the neighbours... jellied and crabs mainly. Was only about 13 doing that job, it was hard graft as after a long day I had to push the stall back to the lock up. Stall was right outside the Ordnance/Gun Pit. Woolwich market was the place to be back then!
The bloke who used to do all the local pubs around Plumstead (the Star), the Bull Shooters Hill and many other local pubs is a Charlton fan. Not seen him around for a while. I am not sure of his name, nice guy.
There is a seafood van outside the Old Mill, Plumstead Common now at weekends apparently.
As I have mentioned a few times I worked on one of the two seafood stalls in Woolwich market way back in the early 80's. "Cockles! Get your cockles, 30 pence half a pint 'ere!" Used to yell it all day long. Hated putting my hands in to the whelk tubs. Used to stink going home on the 96... people used to sit down next to me and then get up and move seats after a few mins. Didnt help that i was carrying leftovers home with me for my Dad and some of the neighbours... jellied and crabs mainly. Was only about 13 doing that job, it was hard graft as after a long day I had to push the stall back to the lock up. Stall was right outside the Ordnance/Gun Pit. Woolwich market was the place to be back then!
Sounds like Gary, used to play football with him. Occasionally see him about, saw him before the play off final game in the green man.
The one bell crayford has a fish stall at the front of it. I remember last year being inside and a fella walked in with his basket full of little fishy goodies before the stall was set up outside.
Comments
Remember as a kid going to the fish shop near the elephant and Castle on Sunday mornings with my dad to get all sorts of strange looking smelly fishy looking stuff though 😉
Excellent starter for the mixed doner to follow
Telegrams!
Remember them?
They said 'did he have a beret and a stripey shirt?' And I replied, 'Actually ... Yes he did!'
I still tend to view it through rose tinted specs.
Even though I have lived in Dorset longer (35 years) than I did in London (33 years) part of me still thinks of Abbey Wood as home.
Of course, when we moved to Abbey Wood from Woolwich in 1958, Abbey Wood was still the border between London and Kent.
To the north beyond the border of the southern outfall sewer bank was still semi derelict Royal Arsenal land and to the east Erith Marshes was mostly fields and farmland all the way to the Belvedere Gas Holders. No Thamesmead back then. Just a big adventure playground for a young lad!
Then the old people taking their teeth out to suck up the last bits when they had had a bowl full. 5 star dining 60s style
I think me and my brother used to ask our Mum to take us there whenever we were in the vicinity.
Never did like jellied eels though. Revolting!
Curried whelk was delicious 🤤
It's not outside a pub, (although they are a couple of doors along from a micropub) but I usually go to these people
http://www.sea-foods.shop
A few years back where i used to live there used to be a bloke with a basket of shell fish that would come into each of the pubs on the weekend to sell his wares.
As i've never lived outside of the south east i just thought this was normal. Surprised to hear its not.
There is a seafood van outside the Old Mill, Plumstead Common now at weekends apparently.
As I have mentioned a few times I worked on one of the two seafood stalls in Woolwich market way back in the early 80's. "Cockles! Get your cockles, 30 pence half a pint 'ere!" Used to yell it all day long. Hated putting my hands in to the whelk tubs. Used to stink going home on the 96... people used to sit down next to me and then get up and move seats after a few mins. Didnt help that i was carrying leftovers home with me for my Dad and some of the neighbours... jellied and crabs mainly. Was only about 13 doing that job, it was hard graft as after a long day I had to push the stall back to the lock up. Stall was right outside the Ordnance/Gun Pit. Woolwich market was the place to be back then!