Pie and mash shops, serving traditional working-class food, have been in London since the 19th century. Some are still found in East and South East London so it was a surprise when a friend invited us to one in Battersea.
However, this was no ordinary Pie and Mash shop.
This was the new Pie and Mash Shop Escape Room by Do Stuff Escape Games, located around a 5 minutes’ walk from Battersea Park Station,
We arrived early so we could enjoy Sunday Roast at The Grove pub, where the Escape Room is located. A cosy pub with quirky decorations, it offers a choice of board games to play with your drinks.
At the appointed time we made our way to the entrance of the pub and met our Games Master. After a briefing, he showed us to the Pie and Mash shop and the game began.
The plot
The Pie and Mash shop owner, Albert Bow, had gone missing. Our mission was to find out what had happened to him.
Traditionally, pie and mash shops have white tile walls with mirrors, and marble floors, tables and work tops, all of which are easy to clean. The room decoration and props were great and matched the theme. It was just like being in a very small eatery.
Play is not linear, as there are multiple points to get started. Consequently the team split up as soon as we entered, all searching for different puzzles and happily yelling out when we found something.
The puzzles were a mix of locks and codes, and mainly low-tech challenges. However, there were some creative ideas we’d not encountered before.
As you work through the room, you also find you are working through the story and the investigation. It was much more noticeable in this room compared to others we have played.
Having solved the missing person assignment, we still needed to get out of the shop. A code we thought had been used already turned out to be our downfall. We escaped but a little over time. That didn’t diminish our enjoyment of the game.
A great time was had by all.
The ITM Games Group team plan trips to escape rooms, treasure hunts and other clue solving adventures, so if you’d like to join their club – the City Adventurers join here :-
Full City Adventurers Membership includes invitations to adventures and travel mainly in the UK.
If you are not UK based, or prefer online adventures, join the City Adventurers as an Armchair Detective.