Jellied eel has been a great delicacy in London for centuries, and there are shops dotted around London selling the great Cockney dish of jellied eel pie and mashed potato.
But, for the first time, sales of jellied eels are now soaring elsewhere in the UK.
Tesco has seen its jellied eel sales grow by 35 per cent in the past two years since it began selling them in places including Scotland and Northern Ireland.
More the 300 Tesco stores across the UK now sell the fish.
They're not just for cockneys! Sales of jellied EELS booming outside London for the first time as shoppers cut costs
- Tesco has seen its jellied eel sales grow by 35 per cent in two years
- Increase in popularity could be down to shoppers trying to cut cost of bills
Sales of jellied eels are soaring outside London for the first time.
Tesco has seen its jellied eel sales grow by 35 per cent in the past two years since it began selling them in places including Scotland and Northern Ireland.
More the 300 Tesco stores across the UK now sell the fish.
Tesco has seen its jellied eel sales grow by 35 per cent in the past two years since it began selling them in places including Scotland and Northern Ireland.
More the 300 Tesco stores across the UK now sell the fish.
They're not just for cockneys! Sales of jellied EELS boomin
Sales of jellied eels are soaring outside London for the first time.
Tesco has seen its jellied eel sales grow by 35 per cent in the past two years since it began selling them in places including Scotland and Northern Ireland.
More the 300 Tesco stores across the UK now sell the fish.
Eels were once a cheap source of food for the poor in London but they are now being enjoyed all over the UK
It is believed the increase in popularity could be down to shoppers trying to cut the cost of food bills.
Gary Hooper, a fish buyer for Tesco, told The Observer: 'The popularity of jellied eels has taken off during the downturn because shoppers have been looking for inexpensive, nutritious food.
'I've been in the fisheries business all my life and until recently no one north of Watford was really
interested in eating them.'
Bradleys, which supplies Tesco and is based in south-east London, distributes 15,000 pots of jellied eels a week to retailers across the UK.
Tasty: Sales of jellied eels are soaring outside London for the first time
Sales for the supplier have doubled from 70 tonnes a year to 140 tonnes.
Frank Bradley, who owns the buisness, said he feared the jellied eel trade was about to die.
He said: 'Until the early 90s, outside of the few remaining eel, pie and mash houses in London, jellied eels were only really sold on old-fashioned seafood stalls outside pubs, but with the growth in the 90s of pubs serving food, the stall trade died off and that might have been the end of the jellied eel trade.'
Eels are regarded as a source of stamina for men in Korea.
Tesco has seen its jellied eel sales grow by 35 per cent in the past two years
The 800 species of eel range from 2in in length to more than 12ft. Most prefer shallow water but
some live at depths of 13,000ft.
some live at depths of 13,000ft.
Eels were once a cheap source of food for the poor in London. The first Eel Pie and Mash House opened in the city in the 18th century.
It is believed the number of eels in the Thames has dropped by 98 per cent in the past five years
