MR NORMAN HAYES has contacted me about the Pilgrims Rest restaurant in Holywell Hill, remembered by Mrs Sylvia Murray for its tasty meat pies.

He was brought up there as his parents, Win and Reginald Hayes, ran it between 1956 and 1985.

He told me: "My mother had been in service, and my father was in the Guards, and they started running pubs and restaurants after the war.

"They came to St Albans after running a pub and hotel in Dartford in Kent. They wanted a restaurant because people were getting more interested in television than pubs in the evenings."

He told me the restaurant was in a very old building now occupied by the Wesley-Barrell furnishing shop, next to The Peahen.

He did not work in the restaurant, unlike his brothers, Derek and Reggy, and their wives, Judy and Sheilagh, who all lived in the building.

He said: "It was never open in the evening it was more of a lunch and coffee place.

"All the people in the shops around used to come in the Andrews, the Taylors, Dr and Mrs Wilson.

"Dr Wilson was a private doctor who had a surgery near there in Holywell Hill.

"Mrs Wells, who owned Trips ladies' fashion shop near the Clock Tower, used to come in, and all the members of staff of the local banks.

"I can remember mum and dad putting up the prices by sixpence you would get a lot of people who would look down their noses at that.

"Every day there was pork, beef, ham and a fish dish.

"There was always a special, using up the meat from the day before.

"The sweets were always steam puddings with jam or treacle, or trifles.

"My mum used to bake everything in the ovens.

"The steak pies were so successful she started selling them in the window.

"They would all be gone in a few minutes.

"On a Saturday she used to make meat and vegetable pasties.

"People used to queue up outside before we opened just to get them.

"At Christmas there were thousands on thousands of mince pies.

"Every day the window was emptied, they were so good.

"People walking by thought we just sold cakes, but it seated 96 people it went back a long way, and you had to go up three or four steps to find these other rooms.

"Up to 200 people would come in for lunch, in two sittings.

"The main room was called Annie's Room Annie was the main waitress.

"She had been there with the previous owners, and stayed the whole 29 years. She only died a month ago at the age of 97.

"She was of German origin and had a slight accent.

"People would phone in and ask for Annie's Room.

"Then there was the Long Room, and a room called The Well, which you had to go down steps to get to."

Mr Hayes' parents retired to Marshalswick, where they both lived until their nineties.