I think it's regional differences...

Egg and chips. Never heard of the pardon thing. I am from the South East (home counties).

MissAdventure Remember the Woodentops? (We had a video tape a very long time ago!)
What shall we have for dinner today?
Sawdust and hay, sawdust and hay
Sawdust and hay for dinner today.

I know it as, Pardon Mrs Arden, is my chicken in your garden? No Mrs Kelly, its in my belly!
As for names of things, when I moved north to Cambridgeshire, no-one understood at the chippy what a wally was! They only had the small gerkins.

Witzend

Aveline

We were never allowed to say, 'pardon'. Only, 'I beg your pardon' or if necessary, 'Sorry?'

Me too!

And me, 'pardon' was seen as rude!

I’m of ‘56 vintage brought up in East Yorkshire for me it was ‘Piggy in your garden’

My husband always refers to a ‘plate of soup’. Sounds messy to me, a plate is flat and not suitable for soup. Obviously he means a bowl of soup , we’ve been having this debate for nearly 40 years.

Pardon Mrs Arden there's a gissy ( a pig )in your garden. I am in the north east. I think my father said it came from ITMA but can't imagine the BBC using gissy.

Yorkshire born, yorkshire bred.
Great at fighting, mint in bed.
Told to me by a Yorkshire man (unsurprisingly)

I'm Yorkshire born and bread
But NEVER heard what's been said!

Pardon mrs arden there's a man in your garden eating cherries off your tree, 😅 I'm from north east

"Air pie, with kick of the cat" was what we sometimes had for dinner.
There were worse meals threatened though, as you say.

yogitree

lizzypopbottle

Jam and bread (NE) or bread and jam?

Scotland (central) 'A piece 'n jam'

Exactly!

Well Lizzie, I don't know Mrs Arden, but hopefully she would also advise you that if you & M-i-L can't tell the difference between a kitten and a chicken, then you have other problems?!

lizzypopbottle

Jam and bread (NE) or bread and jam?

Scotland (central) 'A piece 'n jam'

Marydoll

Vito

I say, the same as you, Arden and Chicken, but always egg and chips. I'm from East Anglia, my family Suffolk/Norfolk .
Shirley Valentine said chips and egg,first time I'd ever heard it, drove me mad 😀

I have never heard this expression!

Never heard of it (Arden/Chicken), but I am in Scotland. Egg and chips here.

MissAdventure

What did people's parents (mum) say when asked what for dinner, please?
I suspect that varies a lot!!

Sawdust and Hay! would have been one of the more polite responses …depending on the prevailing mood in the kitchen😄

Dee1012

On moving to the North East and asking for a couple of Barm Cakes....I needed to ask for Stotties!

As. Teenager I worked in a shop serving holiday makers , so every fortnight on wakes weeks turnover, we had to use a different name for an item . As it was NW I missed out on the stotties but we had tea cakes, barm cakes , oven bottoms, baps , bread cakes, flour cakes to name but a few. Glasgow fortnight was “ Lock up your daughters” time.

Eggs and chips.
I’m from the south but now live in the north.
In the south it’s bits and bobs, in the north it’s bits and bats!

What did people's parents (mum) say when asked what for dinner, please?
I suspect that varies a lot!!

Hum and Haw
Egg and chips.
Never heard about Mrs Harden's garden and chickens

Never heard that saying in my life!🤣Im from Scotland. Ps...Egg and chips

GrannyGravy13

I am in the S E, one of my Granny’s always said pardon Mrs Arden, there’s a pussy cat in your garden

This has been passed down the generations and our young GC find it hilarious.

A gran (born late 19th century in South London) used to say exactly that. I'd forgotten. And she passed it in to my mum.

I don't know what meat it is, inside the pies.
I have the meat free type.
It might be steak, I think.

Oh, you've never lived!!
Yes, savoury pies with mash and liqueur.
(Was that made from eel juice, originally? Shudder!)

I’ve never understood ‘pie and mash’ - are we talking of pork pie and mash, steak pie and mash, mince beef pie and mash? I only have chips and gravy with my savoury pies.