Lobby (food)


Lobby or lobbies is a traditional beef and potato stew or broth.

Background

Lobby is a traditional North Staffordshire dish eaten by poorly-paid potters who could not afford freshly prepared food every day. It consists of minced or diced beef or lamb, diced potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, and root vegetables bulked up with pearl barley and seasoned. It remains on the menus of local pubs and on locals' dinner tables today.
In Leigh, Greater Manchester, the dish earned the nickname "lobby gobblers" for the inhabitants of the town, in contrast to the "pie eaters" of neighbouring Wigan.
A similar dish to lobby can be found in Liverpool, where it is called scouse.