The Legend of Sid's Coffee Stall

"A coffee stall set up by a First World War veteran that received a special licence to serve through the Blitz is closing its shutters after serving customers for more than 100 years.
Syd's is shutting up shop in London's East End, having 'witnessed and survived some of the capital's most defining moments,' a spokesman for the Museum of London said.
During the Second World War, owner Syd Tothill and wife May obtained a special licence to ignore the Blitz blackouts and open the stall at night to cater for air raid wardens.
First World War veteran Sydney Edward Tothill, who was gassed during the conflict, used £117 of his invalidity pension to open it in 1919.
Like most 'coffee stalls' of its time it did not sell coffee, but a brown liquid containing the essence of coffee beans, chicory and sugar.
It also sold tea, cocoa and Bovex, known as the 'poor man's Bovril'.
And the snack people liked to pair their drink with was a 'sav and slice' which was a saveloy, provided by a German butchers in Hoxton, served with a slice of bread and English mustard.
The couple ran a number of coffee stalls throughout the capital, and also two cafe in Rivington Street and Worship Street, as reported by Spitalfields Life. "
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7809825/Coffee-stall-set-veteran-closing-shutters-serving-customers-100-years.html

 

Fantastic story! Thanks!

(I wish I had known about Syd's the last time I was in London!)

 

That is a damned shame. You would think that with the current boom in coffee drinkers, they'd be thriving. I had to look up saveloy, to find it must the same "red hot" hot dogs sold here, only we eat it on a hotdog bun with mustard, relish, whatever you want to throw on there. Hot dogs here are made with the same discarded bits of pig (you don't really want to know) held together with various grain flours, fat and so on - the same as saveloy is described.

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The Saveloy is big in Australia too...Theres an Australian saying "fair suck on the sav!" - same as "fair crack of the whip!" - same as "fair suck on the sauce bottle!"
Again goes back to the Australian ideal of a fair go for everyone. If you don't think you or someone else is getting it you can use one of the above...
One of my favourite foods is a battered sav...

We also have Pluto pups and Dagwood dogs...they are on a stick.

Freaking delicious...

 

No idea if I've ever actually tried one.

 

We have small saveloys too...we call them "little boys"...for reasons one can see...

 

we call the ones on a stick - "corn dogs" .
i cant eat those anymore. not a bad thing.

 

who puts ketchup on a corn dog?
should be slathered in mustard.

 

the corndog with ketchup is a metaphor for what it does to your heart.

 

So why "corn" dogs? Wheres the corn?

 

You mob should try and batter this puppy...Battered Haggis...mmmmm

 

The batter of a North American "Corn Dog" is made with corn. It's a sort of cornbread batter. Genius.

 

I

I've had plain haggis. Quite good. I imagine that battered Haggis would be alright. Especially with HP sauce and a neat whisky on the side.

 

See...now we're talking...

 

No bloody Ketchup in Australia...the word is even weird..."gotta ketchup with my friends..."
We have "Dead Horse!"

 

Oh, dear..... Would Syd have approved?

 

Never actually tried haggis either. Gives me the boak just thinking about it.

 

I tried haggis in a tiny hotel in Greenock. They were already having sport with me for ordering iced tea, which amused then no end. I was simply thirsty and wanted a cold drink, but didn't want beer on my breath when I went back to the meetings I was in. This was before the day when bottled water was a thing, and they didn't then, and maybe still don't set water in front of you like an American restaurant. They dumped a bunch of sugar in the tea, which made it almost undrinkable. So, then the waiter thought he'd have even more fun by offering me their specialty, haggis, thinking I'd have no idea what it was, and of course I did know what it was, but didn't let on being curious about how it would taste. It just tasted like oats to me, with unidentifiable meat bits in it. He came back twice asking how I liked it, and I just said it was OK, a bit bland... That's an accurate description.
I suppose that's why Scots make such good soldiers. They're so angry about their lousy lunches they take it out on the enemy.

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You went to a shipbuilding town and ordered iced tea?!
Jeez, that's hardcore.

 

I wouldn't go out of my way for Haggis, but it's worth showing up to breakfast early for Black Pudding.