ready for the allotment and the pipe and slippers

[jacdac]

‘<…> We’ll need a replacement for Dave here in a year or two, and it’d be nice to have a home-grown baby tech.’
Dave laughed. ‘If it’s all the same, ma’am, I’m not quite ready for the allotment and the pipe and slippers. Still, an apprentice to pass on all my vast knowledge to would be good.
Source: Hunted on the Fens by Joy Ellis
Context: Danny is a new addition to the CID team at the Greenborough police station. Dave is close to retirement age. The Detective Inspector is introducing Danny to the team.

What does Dave mean with the sentence in bold? I gather he is not ready for retirement, right? What do allotment, pipe and slippers refer to specifically?

Thank you.

 

[The Newt]

You'll have to check with a UK speaker about the exact meaning of "allotment," but "pipe and slippers" is a common cliché to describe the stereotypical male comforts of resting at home.

 

[sound shift]

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

allotment /əˈlɒtmənt/ n
Brit a small piece of usually public land rented by an individual for cultivation

Allotments and "pipe and slippers" are symbols of the slower pace of male retired life.