Tossing the pieman

1849

Of the hucksters of provisions but one class remains to be described, and even that is seldom to be met with now-a-days. The penny-pie trade has passed from the streets into the shops. The following statement may be taken as a fair average of the condition of the class at present:-

The itinerant meat and fruit pieman is another class of street provision merchant. The meat pies consist of mutton and beef; the fruit, of apple, and, occasionally, mince-meat. These are sold in the streets at ld. each. A few years ago the meat and fruit pies used to sell very well, but lately too many of the people are out of work, and they have not any money to spend. Fairs and races are generally the best places for the sale of pies in the summer. In London the best times for the sale of pies are during any grand sight or holiday-making — a review in Hyde Park, the Lord Mayor's show, the opening of Parliament, Greenwich fair, Whitsun Monday - and, indeed, whenever anything is going on that brings the people together in large crowds. The piemen in the streets of London are seldom stationary; they go along with their pie-can on their arm, crying "Pies all hot! meat and fruit, pies all hot!" This can is somewhat similar to a potato-can, but it has no boiler inside it. The pies are kept hot by means of a charcoal fire beneath, and there is a partition in the body of the can, to separate the hot from the cold pies. There are two tin drawers one at the bottom where the hot pies are kept, and above these are the cold ones. As fast as the hot pies are sold, the cold ones above are placed on the drawers below. There is a pieman who goes about Billingsgate market, who has a pony and "shay cart." He does the best business in the pie line in town. It is believed he sells £1 worth every day; but the generality of piemen throughout London do nothing like this.

"I was out myself, last night," said one to me, "from four in the afternoon till half-past twelve, and went from Somers-town down to the Horse Guards, and looked in at all the public-houses on the way, and I didn't take above 1s. 6d. I have been out sometimes all those hours, and haven't taken more than 4d.; and out of that I have had to pay a penny for charcoal."

The piemen usually make the pies themselves. The meat is mostly bought as "pieces," and paid for at the rate of 3d. a pound.

"People, when I go into houses, often begin at me, crying 'Molrow!' and 'Bow-wow!' at me; but there's nothing of that kind. Meat, you see, is so cheap now."

The pieman usually makes about five dozen of pies at a time. To do this, he takes one quartern of flour, at 6d.; two pounds of suet, at 6d.; one pound and a half of meat, at 3d., amounting, in all to about 2s.; to this must be added 3d. for the expense of baking. ld. for the cost of keeping hot, and 2d. for pepper, salt, and eggs with which to wash them over. Hence the cost of the five dozen would be 2s. 6d., and the profit the same. The usual quantity of meat in each pie is about half an ounce. There are not more than a dozen hot-piemen now in London. There are some who carry pies about on a tray slung before them; these are mostly boys, and. including these, the number may amount to 25 in the winter time. and to double that number in the summer. in the summer time the most business is done; the trade then is nearly double as brisk as in the winter. This is owing to the markets being better attended; the people generally have more money to spend. The penny-pie shops have done the street trade a great deal of harm. They have got mostly all the custom. They make them much larger than those sold in the streets. The pies in Tottenham-court-road are very highly seasoned. "I bought one there the other day, and it nearly took the skin off my mouth; it was full of pepper," said a pieman to me. The reason why they put in so large a quantity of pepper is because persons can't exactly tell the flavour of the meat with it. Piemen generally are not very particular about the flavour of the meat they buy, for they know that they can season it up into anything. The usual part of beef used, is what are called "the stickings." This is what is mostly used for sausages, and costs about 3d. per pound. In the summer time, a pieman about the street thinks he is doing a good business if he takes 5s. per day, and in the winter if he gets half that. On a Saturday night, however, he generally takes 5s. in the winter, and about 8s. in the summer. At Greenwich fair he will take about 14s. At a review in Hyde-park, if it is a good one, he will sell about 10s. worth. The generality of the customers are the boys of London. The women seldom, if ever, buy them in the streets. At the public-houses a few are sold, and the pieman makes a practice of looking in at all the public-houses on his way. Here his customers are found principally in the tap-room. "Here's all hot!" they cry, as they look into the tap-room.
    "Toss or buy; up and win em!" This is the only way that the pies can be got rid of. "If it wasn't for tossing we shouldn't sell one." The pieman never tosses himself, but always calls head or tail to the customer. At the week's end it comes to the same thing. whether they toss or not. "I've taken as much as 2s. 6d. at tossing, which I shouldn't have had if I hadn't done so. Very few people buy without tossing, and the boys in particular. Gentlemen 'out on the spree' at the late public-houses will frequently toss when they don't want the pies, and when they have won they will amuse themselves by throwing the pies at one another, or at me.

Henry Mayhew, Letter XIV to the Morning Chronicle, 4 December 1849