A pie and mash shop promising to bring a slice of the east end to town is set to open in a former tattoo studio.

Ryan Vickers and Billy Haynes are preparing for the grand opening of Billy’s Pie and Mash in Ashford’s North Street.

They have spent two months kitting out the former Wyldfire tattoo studio into a traditional east end shop, with plenty of banter, working men’s food – and no lumpy mash in sight.

Having worked in construction for a number of years, the friends say they have sampled all the pie and mash offerings across the south east.

Now, they are now hoping to put their own stamp on their favourite dish.

Mr Vickers, 50, explained: “We are getting too old to be going up and down scaffolding.

“We batted around a few ideas of doing something together because we want a simpler way of life.

“About 30 years ago I wanted to open up a pie and mash shop in Lakeside shopping centre but unfortunately it never came to fruition and my career took a different turn.

“So we thought, why don’t we do this now?

“I used to work in the east end and Billy was brought up in the east end so we are used to pie and mash cuisine, working man's food, so we thought we would try it out here.

“A lot of people have moved out of London so there are more of these shops moving out to the suburbs, but there isn't one in Ashford.

“We wanted to put our own spin on it so hopefully we can bring a little bit of the east end, and something different to Ashford.”

The friends began looking for a space for the shop before Christmas and felt the unit in Ashford, which also used hairdressers Master Cutters, was the perfect fit.

As well as being named after Mr Haynes, the name Billy’s is also a nod to Mr Vickers’ father who passed away last year.

While an exact opening date is yet to be confirmed, the pair say it will be within the next week.

Mr Vickers, who lives in Headcorn with his wife Magda, said: “We have done trial runs and we know what we're eating because we've eaten in every pie and mash shop all around.

“We have gravy and liquor and we will have vegetarian options too.

“People won’t walk away from here hungry and people will remember that.

“We want to have Camaraderie and banter with people who come in.

“If it works out, we will look at opening one or two others in the area.”

Once fully operational, the shop could create up to five jobs.

Despite the rising cost of living, the pair feel now is the right time to bring their vision forward.

Their move comes as the dish appears to be growing in popularity in Kent, with Flo's pie and mash opening in Folkestone.

Mr Vickers continued: “You can’t guarantee anything, even with a good economy but this is a calculated risk and we think we have got what we need to keep the place open.

“I don think there is ever a good or a bad time, I think if you have got the right business model and the margins works, then businesses can still succeed.