SUNDAY SERVING:

WHERE'S WALLY?

One of the questions we hear most at Catherine St when curious guests spot our fish & chips on the menu is: "What on earth is a pickled wally?"

For some, it's a complete mystery. For any Cockneys reading this, the answer's much simpler: it's a pickled cucumber.

So where did the name come from?

BIT OF A PICKLE

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Like so many bits of British food history, there's no single agreed story behind the name.

One popular theory takes us back to the bustling East End markets of the late 1800s, where pickled olives and gherkins were sold from great wooden barrels. It was here that "wally" is thought to have evolved as a Cockney corruption of the word olive, before later becoming the nickname for all things pickled.

Whether that's the true story or not, one thing's for certain: the name stuck.

A CHIP SHOP STAPLE

If nothing else, the pickled wally is a staple of the chippie.

You'll still spot them standing proudly in giant glass jars beside pickled onions and pickled eggs, ready to bring that sharp, crunchy bite that cuts through crispy battered fish so brilliantly.

GHERKIN CLASS

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The pickled wally might not be famous across the whole country, but in London and the South East it's a little piece of working-class food history.

That's exactly why you'll find it at Catherine St.

Jamie's menu celebrates the comforting British classics he grew up with in his parents' pub, right down to the regional ingredients and traditions that make every dish feel like home.

READY TO MEET A WALLY?

Now you know the story, it's time to meet one.

Every Friday, our Fish & Chips is one of Jamie's Lunch Favourites.

Expect beer-battered British hake, mushy peas, tartare sauce and, of course, a proper pickled wally, all for £19.50.

Go on, give it a whirl.

SEE LUNCH FAVOURITES

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Jamie Oliver Catherine St 6 Catherine St London, WC2B 5JY