Check out this year’s Modern Cockney Festival
‘Don’t look back, you’ll trip over’ is an aphorism (and book title) for which Michael Caine is well known. The organisers of the Modern Cockney Festival are paying homage to the legendary London actor on his 92nd birthday with a range of up-to-the-minute events in the spirit of this quip.
The festival runs through the month of March, and on Friday 14 March, the nation’s pie’n’mash shops will be offering a free cup of tea to any customers who toast Sir Michael’s birthday with either a quick impersonation of the great man or share a fact not many people know about Cockneys or can name two of his 160 films.
“Pie’n’mash is a delicious reminder of where Sir Michael came from, and the community that shaped him into the iconic figure he is today.” said Andy Green of the Modern Cockney Festival.
“The food reflects Sir Michael’s identity and upbringing in the heart of London. Our traditional artisan-cooked meal, with its rich history and enduring popularity, continues to be a symbol of non-posh Londoners’ culture.”
The Modern Cockney Festival is a month-long celebration of the culture, heritage, and identity of ‘non-posh Londoners’. Organised by Modern Cockney, it is a community partnership between the Bengali East End Heritage Society and social enterprise Grow Social Capital.
Featuring over 16 events the Modern Cockney Festival’s highlights include music spanning Cockney music hall to London’s unique Black music heritage, celebrating inspiring Cockney women, guidance on how to discover your Cockney roots, the second National Pie’n’Mash Week working to secure Protected Food status for the Cockney dish, through to academic talks on sociolinguistics to museum family fun days.
Another highlight of the festival is The Pie and Mash Pilgrimage: 7 Pie Shops in 7 Days, with TikTok influencers Cockney and Caribbean – Essex boy Danny Sains and his wife Carlene, whose families hail from Canning Town and Bow – are leading the charge, hosting a pie’n’mash tour across London and the Southeast.
Over seven days, they will visit seven iconic pie shops, inviting their followers to become ‘pilgrims’ and join the journey.
On a mission to introduce first-timers – ‘virgins’ – to the classic Cockney dish while rallying long-time fans for a bit of pie’n’mash tourism. Those taking part will receive a special commemorative certificate, marking their pilgrimage to these cherished gastronomic landmarks.
Commenting on their journey, Danny and Carlene said:”We’ve had two pie shops close their doors since the pandemic, so we know first-hand how important it is for people to get behind their local pie’n’mash shops.
The only way it survives is if we keep eating it, simple as that. We’ve got loads of followers who’ve never had proper pie’n’mash and always ask to tag along, so we thought why not make a tour of it for Pie’n’Mash Week? Seven shops, seven days, and everyone’s welcome! To join the pilgrimage and for more details head over to our TikTok @cockneyandcaribbean.”
Find out more about the Modern Cockney Festival.