John....I think most houses were very similar.......I used to get sent for a broth posy to the market and I woult throw the Thyme into the long grass on the way home.....I hated it(and still do)....Ma used to tell me not to buy the broth posy unless it had a sprig of Thyme in it.......it is only recently that i confessed. I would have got my legs slapped.....except I can run faster than Ma can hobble
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We used to have Sea Pie too........his was a stew of any vegetables, scraps of meat(sometimes neck of lamb,rabbit, boiling fowl, or bacon bits) cooked in a huge pan and a suet crust put on top just about 15-20 minutes before it was due to be served....the lid was put on the pan and the crust steamed to perfection.
I once asked why it was called 'Sea Pie' because it seemed like it had nothing at all to do with the sea....apparently they did it like this on ships to stop the stew from slopping out of the pan in rough seas.....I don't know how true this is...but it stuck in my mind.
Good honest, stick to your ribs grub....it was what kept us going.