Lamprey pie
Fish-filled English pastry dish / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lamprey pie is a pastry dish made from sea lampreys or European river lampreys. Lampreys were a delicacy for the wealthy in medieval England and were often given as gifts to royalty as a means of seeking favour. It became tradition for the city of Gloucester to give the monarch a lamprey pie each Christmas. In 1200 the city was fined 40 marks (equivalent to £47,000 in 2023) for failing to provide the pie. The annual custom ended in 1836, but in 1893 it was revived when Gloucester mayor, John A. Matthews wished to send a pie to Queen Victoria during her Jubilee Year.[1] The pie was made and sent annually by John A. Fisher and Sons, Ltd., Tudor House, Gloucester, until in 1917 King George V requested that the gifting be suspended until World War One had ended.[2] It was never revived. John A. Fisher died at age 82 in 1929.[3] A lamprey pie is still presented on special occasions such as coronations and jubilees.