Former Londoner Susan Williamson has been serving up traditional pie and mash outside a village pub in Kent for the last 13 years.

But with new management due to take over in the new year, she fears her weekly slot outside The Gamecock at West Kingsdown will be scrapped in favour of an in-house pub grub menu.

Her concerns have also left a nasty taste in the mouths of her loyal customers, with nearly 800 signing a petition pleading for the Traditional Pie and Mash Company to remain a fixture every Friday.

Such is the demand for the Cockney staple dish, that Susan has asked West Kingsdown Parish Council if she can use its nearby car park for her van.

But members have refused permission, saying it was an unsuitable use of the site - despite Susan offering to pay rent

.The 53-year-old gran has asked the councillors for a clearer reason why she has been turned down but so far has not heard back.

She said: “If it’s rubbish they are worried about, I always clear up afterwards and have never had any complaints.

“I also have my own insurance and can provide lighting if I need to.

Susan, 53, who lives in Rainham, said: “The car park is hardly ever used. It seems like a handful of people, who are clearly not thinking what the community wants, have come to this decision.”

Susan gave up her job as a teaching assistant 14 years ago to start up her catering business and has never looked back.

She said: “The family clubbed together to buy a van and within a few years we needed to get a bigger one.”

Originally from southeast London, Susan gets her pies from Raymonds, a relative’s pie and mash shop in Eltham which has been trading for 30 years.

They got their recipe from a cook who worked at Manze’s in Deptford, one of the oldest shops in the country dating back more than 100 years.

Susan: “It has to be traditional but we do have a secret ingredient added to the liquor.

She and daughter-in-law Ellie Bleach go to the pub once a week and sell up to 300 pies with Susan’s homemade mash and lashings of parsley liquor gravy.

She said: “Some take their food in the pub which is good for their trade as they have it with a drink. Others freeze them for later in the week.

“My customers are 99% Londoners who have moved out of the centre of London to Kent. People are prepared to travel to get their weekly portion.”

“I'm here in all weathers. Some have even asked me if I will be here on Christmas Day.

“My customers are like family. I’ve even been invited to family funerals.”

Susan and her family, including her two sons and three grandchildren, regularly sit down together for their own pie-and-mash feast.

“I’ll never get sick of it, even though I’m serving it in the week. Although I do make sure we have a roast on a Sunday.”

The Traditional Pie and Mash Company is also parked up at The Black Horse in Borough Green on Wednesdays, Westmoor Farm, Rainham on Thursdays and Sheppey Rugby Club on Saturdays.

A spokesperson from Stonegate Group said: “The Gamecock Pub, West Kingsdown is part of the Stonegate Pub Partners division, which means it operates as a leased and tenanted business.

“Our publicans manage and run the pub independently, making decisions on the day-to-day operations, including any arrangements with external vendors.

“As such, it’s ultimately up to the current and future publicans to decide on the continuation of any longstanding arrangements, such as the one with the Traditional Pie and Mash company.

“The current publicans remain in place at the moment, and we cannot comment on what any future arrangements might be.”

The parish council has been approached for comment

The minutes of a recent meeting recorded that six members voted it was not a suitable use of the car park and one person abstained.