Tubby Isaac's World Famous Jellied Eels

On the corner of Goulston Street stood Tubby Isaac's Jellied Eel stall, last ran by Paul Simpson. Some of Paul's regular customers were in their 80s and 90s who originally turned up at the stall with their parents in the 1920s and 30s. The business was founded in 1919 by 'Tubby' Isaac Brenner, who ran the business until 1939 until he emigrated to America with his boys, so they would not be conscripted in the coming World War II. After Isaac left his nephew Solly took over the business and ran it until he died in 1975. After his death Solly's nephew Ted Simpson took over and ran it until 1989. After that it was ran by Paul. Jellied Eels are a traditional English dish that originated in the 18th century, primarily in the East End of London. The dish consists of chopped eels boiled in a spiced stock that is allowed to cool and set, forming a jelly. The jelly was a crucial factor before refrigeration, when a family could eat from a bowl of jellied eels and then put the dish in a cold pantry, where the jelly would preserve it for the next day. The stall also served winkles, cockles, prawns, mussels, lobsters and oysters. Paul explained that the the stall was like a pub and regulars came all day, with general chit-chat about football and weather. Cabbies would stop by scoff down a bowl of eels drowned in vinegar and covered with pepper, then disappear before the traffic warden came along. Tubby Isaac’s was an impromptu landmark for generations, its reputation even spreading around the world. But due a downfall in customers Tubby Isaac closed in June 2013 after nearly 100 years of business.