Peggy’s Place

In Spotlights ganz eigenem Londoner Pub dreht es sich diesmal um eine traditionelle Londoner Köstlichkeit. Von INEZ SHARP

Visit Spotlight’s very own London pub

Helen: So, no filming here in the pub then? Are you pleased the series is going to Pinewood?

Peggy: You bet! They’re filming the outside of the pub for the opening sequence of each episode.

Helen: You mean like they did for Downton Abbey?

Peggy: Yeah, but without the dog’s arse. We’re going to be famous as the “location” for Lucifer’s London, but with none of the irritation.

Helen: I bet you’re getting a penny or two for that.

Peggy: Yes, we are.

Helen: Any plans for what you’re going to do with the money? I don’t want to be nosy or anything, but...

Peggy: It’s OK, love. We’ve decided to put some of it into renovating the kitchen.

Helen: Sean must be happy.

Peggy: He is — and he does deserve a bit of a boost.

Helen: Yeah, he’s such a talented chef. The past few months must have been hard on him.

Peggy: We did have the takeaway service, of course, but you can’t really offer innovative cuisine during a lockdown.

Helen: There certainly wasn’t any haute cuisine happening in my home.

Peggy: Precisely! People just wanted what we used to call nursery food, like sausages and mash, fish and chips — that kind of thing.

Helen: So, what changes will you be making to the kitchen?

Peggy: If Sean had his way, it would be all the latest gadgets and stainless-steel surfaces everywhere.

Helen: You don’t sound convinced.

Peggy: Well, as we were walking round the showroom, he kept saying, “This is the real thing” about every gadget. But when I saw how much they cost, I was gobsmacked!

Helen: Pricey, huh?

Peggy: Three thousand quid just for a griddle!

Helen: That does sound a bit steep. I’m sure the two of you can come to a compromise, can’t you?

Peggy: Yeah, I’m expecting Sean now. Then we’ll go through the list again.

Helen: I saw him earlier. Said he was going for a pie-and-mash lunch.

Peggy: That’s his latest passion. He got himself a pie at the Holborn Dining Room a couple of weeks ago, and he’s been looking for pie nirvana ever since.

Helen: Here he comes. I think he may well have found it!

Peggy: Hi, Sean. How was lunch?

Sean: Really good. I went to a place called London Pies.

Peggy: We used to go there when Jane was little.

Helen: Not my thing. I just can’t bring myself to eat eel.

Peggy: I was never that keen on it either, but the pie with lots of mash and liquor. Now, that was heaven!

Helen: So, you’ll be serving pie and mash here?

Sean: It sounds a bit retro, but I think simple, traditional food with a modern twist is going to be the new thing.

Helen: Upmarket toad-inthe-hole — that sort of thing?

Sean: Exactly!

Peggy: Well, you won’t be needing a £3,000 griddle for that, will you?

Helen, a regular at the pub, works as a nurse and is currently single. She’s organized, punctual and sensible.