SHEPHERD'S PIES
THE BEST OF THE BRITISH ISLES · 2026
AUTHOR: MARK WITHEY
Issue Date: 16-06-2026
The Shepherd’s Pie Guy
By Mark Withey
Imprint
Dis-connect to re-connect.
Mark · The Shepherd’s Pie Guy
Firstly, a big HELLO and a warm welcome to the true home of Shepherd’s Pie. My name is Mark Withey and I am known as the Shepherd’s Pie Guy. I live near Cobham, Kent in the South East of England and I have been enjoying Shepherd’s Pies since the age of 5. I have created this book, dedicated to my favourite comfort food to share with all of you, my new found friends.
This book isn’t just about all the wonderful recipes within, it’s also about sharing meals with your family and friends, taking some time out together with good old-fashioned comfort food. My recipes are not just about eating healthy nutritious comfort food, but also about the time we spend together eating, drinking, laughing with those we love.
When I first began to research the humble Shepherd’s pie, I soon found out it was anything but and that the variations of this dish expanded around the British Isles and indeed, the globe, with both historic and Royal connections to boot.
So, what is a Shepherd’s Pie? The modern version is a dish of braised minced meat, onions and vegetables, topped with mash potatoes and finished with melted cheddar, which is the most popular version. However, as you will learn from my book, there are many, many different recipes.
It seems that in many places ‘Shepherd’s Pie’ has become the generic term to describe dishes with a potato topping and meat filling (or even Veggie’s). However, in truth, to be a proper Shepherd’s Pie it must be made with Lamb or Mutton. The Beef version is known as a ‘Cottage Pie’ and historic records show that it actually pre-dates its ‘Lamb’ twin, with the earliest examples of this type of dish originally being filled with beef and recipes dating back to the mid 1700’s.
With my book, I’ll take you on a great Shepherd’s Pie journey, from the first Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie recipes recorded, showing how historical recipes actually help change our world for the better and even how the British Royal family influenced one of our Nations favourite foods, which they still enjoy with us today.
Most of the 44 Shepherd’s Pie recipes in my book are my own creation. With each one, I have taken favourite local ingredients and traditions then combined these to create a Shepherd’s Pie recipe that’s honours each region. The recipes retain the principle of a good Shepherd’s Pie, but are re-created into new versions to give you something a little different each time. In addition to my own recipes. I have also included Historical version found in the deepest food archives.
Remember, this book is about creating the best comfort food to share with your family and friends, taking time out from our digital world. Turn off the bloomin’ mobile phones, TV’s and tablets… and talk to each other, please.
Dis-connect to re-connect.
Have a great day
Mark
The Shepherd’s Pie Guy
Humble roots
Bromley, Kent · 1961
I was born in 1961 in Bromley, Kent, England, to a family that came from very humble roots. My Mother Eileen, also known as ‘Sue’ to her friends and family, was a Secretary and in her younger years, a part time chorus girl (she loved to dance). My Father held a full-time job as a shipping clerk, as well as a morning milk round and evening bar job. At weekends he also worked as a runner for the bookies at the local dog track in Catford. They worked incredibly hard and were determined to make a good life for themselves and an even better life for my three brothers and I. Words cannot ever express how grateful I am for the family life I was lucky enough to experience.
Grandad on Dad’s side was a ‘Rag & Bone’ man and I have fond memories of him and his horse and cart, working the local streets and collecting scrap and unwanted items, magically turning them into money. My Nan supported him by bringing up their seven children, all originally living in a tiny house in Downham, Bromley, with no bathroom and just an outside toilet.
On my Mum’s side of the family, Grandad worked in Saville Row as a tailor, specialising in making hand-made shirts, whilst Nan tended the house and looked after my Mum and her sister Pat.
It was during my early and formative years that my memories start of the wonderful Shepherd’s Pie. It seemed at the time that if anyone could cook a proper Shepherds Pie, it was either of our Nan’s or my Mum. There was something about that generation of people that they just excelled in producing tasty homely foods that always left you wanting for more. Often cooked and served in stove-enamelled dishes, together with a selection of the available veg of the day, we couldn’t have been any luckier in life.
The tradition and skill of cooking Shepherd’s Pie was something my Mum continued to do all of her life, until she became too ill to cook. She very sadly passing away from Breast Cancer in April 1993. She was and still is to this day, the inspiration for my cooking and the many family meals we enjoy together and will forever remain in my heart.
From the age of 5, I was also lucky enough to have been at a school that cooked ‘Proper’ school dinners, including my beloved Shepherd’s and Cottage Pie. Served by lovely smiling school cooks and dinner ladies, they lavished us with all the traditional English foods we had come to know and appreciate. My best friend at the time and I would always make sure we were the last ones that went in for lunch, meaning we could go up for seconds of our favourite foods and sometimes even thirds, or fourths! It was a time when my appetite was on the increase and I yet remained stick thin no matter how much I ate (could really do with that now!).
From the age of about 15 or 16, I began and learn to cook for myself. Purely from observing my Mum and following my instinct, I started to create my own food, albeit on a less competent level than Mum and our Nan’s. After leaving home at the age of 20 and renting a room locally, I quickly learned to experiment with food and fend for myself. Since then and after many years spent in the kitchen (literally 16,000 hours or more), I became a reasonably competent cook and as such, regularly produced a good Shepherd’s Pie, as confirmed by family and friends alike. My natural curiosity and need to experiment with flavours, started a journey to find alternative recipes for this dish, but still keep the concept of the Shepherd’s Pie very much alive.
My first recipe book includes many versions of the Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie from around the British Isles, with the second recipe book already in production that include recipes from all around the world.
Long Live
Shepherd’s Pie.
I would like to say a big thank you to my family and friends who have supported me in making this book, of our great times around the dinner table, putting up with the endless taste testing of the various recipes, and for listening to me wittering on about the wonders of all things Shepherd’s Pie, proving that I really have become the world’s biggest Shepherd’s Pie Nerd, that I thought I would never become.
I would like to say a special thank you to my beautiful wife Denise, for supporting me from the first moment I envisioned the idea of this book. She has been with me on this journey from the start, through the trials and tribulations of collating the information and helping me through the hundreds of hours spent researching recipes into the wee small hours.
By far my biggest debt of gratitude is to all those that have gone before me and sadly, no longer here.
Equally, and by no means least, I would like to thank all the professionals that have guided me through the creation of my first eBook, my website and in creating what appears to have become a bit of an amazing phenomenon!
To my Mum and Dad, my Grandparents, my Aunts, Uncles and Dear Friends who have spent many hours sharing meals, sharing stories, as well as honing their own cooking skills, tweaking family recipes in order to find the perfect formula, the perfect dish…
…the perfect Shepherd’s Pie.
Thank you everyone.
Although Potatoes were introduced to the British Isles around 1520, they weren’t readily accepted and used in everyday cooking until much later. The original Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie is thought to have originated around 1750 possibly earlier, from somewhere in the north of England. Early recipes and records of the Shepherd’s Pie can also be traced back to Southern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, although the Scottish are thought to have originally topped their version with Pastry (so not a proper Shepherd’s Pie then, I can hear you all say, just a meat pie!).
Originally, The Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie would have been made from leftover meat from a meal such as a Sunday roast, including the tiny pieces trimmed directly from the bone. Back in the day, people would place a joint of meat in the oven to cook for Sunday lunch, while they attended Church. This paved the way to a traditional Sunday roast and likewise the Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie that followed.
A Shepherd’s Pie was named as such because it contained Lamb or Mutton. The Cottage Pie that got its name in the late 18th century because it was a humble inexpensive dish made predominantly by poorer rural workers who lived in small cottages.
Since mincing machines weren't invented until the 1870’s, originally the meat would have been cut from the bone and chopped with a knife. Any locally available vegetables were then added to bulk out what essentially at the time was a poor-man’s dish. As there was no refrigeration in this time period, sometimes the meat could also have been smoked, dried or salted to preserve it and in each case, this would have added another dimension to the final flavor which not experienced in the modern version today. During the 1800’s in the north of England, cattle farming was more prevalent and as such beef more easily available, whist the southern counties relied more on pork and wild game. Home refrigerators didn’t really come into use until around 1914 and even then, it was the wealthy and upper classes that benefitted from this kitchen appliance first, so the general consensus of opinion is that in most cases, the Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie were made from the previous day scraps and the meat type varied from area to area, depending on what was available.
With Potato farming in Ireland covering more than a third of arable farming by the mid 18th century, this plentiful and cheap vegetable became the topping of choice for the Shepherd’s pie and the firm family favourite that we know and love today.
Since its conception, the Shepherd’s Pie has seen many variations of the recipe, both official and those handed down from family to family. Whilst the basic ingredients tend to remain fairly consistent throughout the variations, people’s personal preferences vary immensely and with a huge variety of available local ingredients, this has produced many recipes, all equally as wonderful as the next.
The term “Shepherd´s Pie” did not really appear in recipe books until around 1877, and since then it has been used synonymously with the name “Cottage pie.
The name “Cottage Pie” was applied to this kind of meat pie around 1790, so predates the modern Shepherd’s Pie by nearly a century. The name ‘Cottage Pie’ was it was predominantly made by poorer workers, living rural cottages.
Another variation of this dish is the ‘Cumberland Pie’. In modern terms, simply topping the potatoes with a layer of breadcrumbs actually turns your dish into a “Cumberland pie”, otherwise it’s the basically same ingredients as a Cottage Pie, with a beef filling. However, in the early recipes the topping was often pastry rather than potato, and the filling was a combination of meat with fruits and spices.
Although variations of this dish show up throughout history from about 1800’s onwards, no real name for it came into use until the introduction of the mincing machine.
The first meat grinder was invented in around 1845 by the German revolutionist, Karl Friedrich Christian Ludwig Freiherr Drais von Sauerbronn, (also known as Karl Drais). He was born in Germany in 1785; he was a revolutionist and heavily involved in politics.
The first meat grinder was hand cranked and forced meat through a metal plate which had several small holes, resulting in long thin strands of meat. As time passed, the hand cranked machines became powered by electricity and giving you the modern ‘mincing machines’ that we know and use today.
A short chronology
My guess is that the majority of the people reading this book have never tasted an original Shepherd’s Pie (I can now hear screams of yes, we have, Of course, we have! We make the best Shepherd’s Pie ever!!).
Well, my friends, until you read this book and looked at the recipes herein, you will soon realise that you have probably have only ever cooked a modern version of a Shepherd’s Pie, made of either minced Lamb, minced Beef (yes, again, I know that’s a cottage pie!) or possibly a veggie version. But almost certainly, you won’t have seen any historical recipes before, let alone tasted them.
Now, whilst the modern Shepherd’s Pie is a wonderful thing, as can be confirmed by many people around the world, over the course of this book I hope to show you all (even the most experienced of cooks and chef’s), as to the wonder that is the Shepherd’s Pie in all its versions and glory.
In this book, there are some 40 plus different recipes of Shepherd’s Pie from around the British Isles. This includes original and historical recipes from as early as the 1800’s, versions from existing recipe books and (start the fanfare!), many of my own creations that pay homage to the huge variety of wonderful local ingredients around the British Isles that are available to many of us today.
It has been reported that despite being one of the richest women in the world, the Queen of England was renowned for her frugality and insisted that leftovers from meals should be eaten the next day. So, on a Monday, with left over Sunday roast meats, she may have eaten similar meals to her servants such as Shepherd’s Pie, Cottage Pie, Rissoles and even bubble and squeak.
Back in May 2006, during a whistle-stop tour of Lancashire, Queen Elizabeth II, together with Prince Phillip, was reported to have had her first ever Pub lunch at ‘The Inn’ at Whitewell, a 14th-century pub set in three acres of grounds, which is the village local. Here the Royal couple sat down to a meal of cottage pie, apple crumble and Lancashire cheese along with 50 VIP’s.
Then in March 2012, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip paid a visit the Krishna Avanti School in Harrow during the Queens regional Jubilee tour, where they both enjoyed a two-course lunch of Indian Shepherd's pie followed by clotted cream bread and butter pudding prepared by celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala.
King Charles’s preferred recipe—often referred to as his favorite "country pie" or "shepherd’s pie"—uses minced lamb, simmered with mushrooms, carrots and a savoury herb gravy, then topped with golden, buttery mashed potatoes.
This hearty, game-rich adaptation reflects the King's well-known love for seasonal British produce and locally sourced meats.
For more royal culinary history, it's widely documented that the King prefers game pies and wild-caught game like pheasant over traditional lamb, though classic Shepherd's and Cottage pies frequently feature on royal family menus.
So, it appears that the most famous Royal family in the world also love this family comfort food, making Shepherd’s Pie as British as Bowler hats, Red Buses and Buckingham Palace.
Long live the Shepherd’s Pie!
From a health perspective I try to use all Organic ingredients whenever possible and would recommend that you try to do the same. I tend to shop as locally at the local butchers or local farm shop, this also helps to minimize my carbon footprint.
Ingredients
I have been asked on many occasions, which is the best Shepherd’s Pie recipe I would recommend. I have equally been told on many occasions that the person I am speaking to at the time, actually cook’s the best Shepherd’s Pie.
Personally, I don’t think you can really say which is the best as we all have such different tastes in food. Whilst I agree that the original Lamb version is probably the most recognized and most loved recipe amongst those here in the UK, having tried and invented a myriad of UK versions, I have to admit that there is no clear winner, it’s just down to your personal choice. Once you have tried some of the other versions in this book, I am sure you will find that variety really is the spice of life and that this dish has now reached a level that few recipes ever get to achieve. It’s not until you have tried a few of the different recipes from this book, that you will see exactly what I mean and the numerous ingredients that make up each version, really do put a complete new twist on the flavour of this much-loved dish.
The Meat or Veggie filling
As I mentioned earlier, the original Shepherd’s Pie would have been made with left over meats from a previously cooked dish, such as a Sunday Roast.
All this delicious roasted meat would have been trimmed from the bone, finely chopped and then simmered in a good stock base, creating the heavenly and unctuous meat filling. Adding diced vegetables to bulk out this pauper’s dish, enhances the flavor and helps it go further to feed the family.
Whilst most modern versions of the Shepherd’s Pie normally use minced meat for a convenience point of view, sticking with the tradition of using hand chopped and shredded roasted meats, gives another dimension to the final flavor. In fact, I would urge you to buy a much larger roasting joint for your next Sunday lunch, with the specific intention of using the left-over meat as above. Slow roasting and even better, braising, the meat before-hand gives a completely different dimension than when using a minced version of the same meat. Until you have tried an original version of the Shepherd’s Pie, you just haven’t lived!
If you don’t have any leftovers available and your only option is to buy some ready minced meat, I would definitely look at buying from your local butcher and asking for low fat, organic meat wherever possible. I have found that many of the cheaper minced meat products available in the supermarkets tend to have a higher fat content and as such, you will end up draining most of this away, wasting money.
I am sure that in the past the concept of adding mashed potatoes over the top of left over meats wasn’t limited to just Lamb or Beef and as you explore my book, a number of the recipes make good use of the myriad of quality meats.
My suggestion would be in all cases, whatever meat you use, when ever possible buy fresh organic meats and again, support your local butcher. He will also be able to mince the more unusual meats for you, those not found at your local supermarket in minced form, such as the varieties of game. (If you’re not intending to roast or braise beforehand).
The origin of Shepherds Pie’s origin was mainly a Paupers dish and if organic meat isn’t available (it’s ironic that all meats in the 18th Century would probably have been considered Organic!), cheaper cuts of meat as well as left-overs still all work very well.
The Mash Topping
Those of you lucky enough to be brought up with Shepherds’ Pie, will of course love the wonderful cheese topped, light and creamy mashed potatoes that adorned the tasty meat filling, all lovingly prepared by our Mum & Dad’s, Nan & Grandad’s across the country. As many Chef’s will also tell you, the secret of good mash starts with using the right potatoes.
I have tried a number of varieties over the years, but always return to my UK favourite the ‘Maris Piper’. In the USA the favourite option tends to be the ‘Yukon Gold’ and I am sure that where-ever you are in the world, you will know what local spuds are best for you. Both potatoes are a good ‘all-rounders’, with excellent flavour and perfect for mashing. Often, the choice of potato is down to what is locally available, but a good rule of thumb is to choose a variety that is slightly floury and not to overcook them as nobody likes watery mash!
In terms of how you mash the potatoes is another debatable issue. I like to hand mash the potatoes, which gives me control over how creamy the finished mash is. Or, if I fancy a rustic style ‘Crushed’ Potato topping, I can do so by less mashing and more smashing! Some people like to use a Potato Ricer which produces a very fine smooth creamy mash, at the same time as taking out some of the effort. At the end of the day, it’s just a personal preference.
One thing when making your mash, is to make sure you cut all the potatoes into similar sized cubes and then boil for around 15 to 20 minutes. If the pieces are of all similar size (I aim for around 2.5cm/1 inch cubes) they will all cook through equally, this avoids any nasty hard pieces of potato finding their way into your dish. Don’t overcook your potatoes as they start to disintegrate and turn into Potato soup.
In terms of what you add to your mash, is again a personal choice. Depending on your own palate and diet, the amount of butter, milk, cream, salt and pepper will vary and what is perfect mash to you, may not be the same to someone else. Vegetarians and Vegans often substitute the dairy element with a little Olive oil, which works well, especially if you used oils that are infused with herbs or garlic.
Another favourite, particularly with Chefs, is to add Egg Yolks to the recipe. This gives a lovely richness to the taste.
Some of the recipes in my book, also include other vegetables incorporated into the mash, such as Sweet Potatoes, Parsnips, Pumpkin, Cauliflower and other vegetables. Remember that these vegetables also have there own cooking time. For instance, sweet potatoes cook more quickly than white potatoes. It’s important to time your mash so when you add your other vegetables to the boiling water, they all cook to perfection at the same time.
At the end of the day, it’s good to just prepare the mash the way you like it and if you need guidance, just use any of the recipes below.
In my opinion, the final touch to a good Shepherd’s Pie is a coating of cheese on top of the mash. It’s my personal preference is to use a vintage cheddar with lots of bite, but this isn’t to everyone’s taste. With the different recipes, I have suggested various types of cheese, each suited to the ingredients there in. However, my rule of thumb is when in doubt, just use a nice strong cheddar.
Potatoes were introduce in to Europe sometime before the end of the 16th century by two different ports of entry. The first in Spain around 1570, and the second via the British Isles between 1588 and 1593. The potato has since spread around the world and has become a staple crop in many countries.
The earliest recipes I can find that resemble a Shepherd’s or even Cottage Pie ask for a bit of artistic licence, but the basic requirements are there, essentially minced meat and potatoes, plus many other ingredients of the period and locality.
Mince your mutton and your white together. When it is minced season it with pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, prunes, currants, dates and raisins, and hard eggs, boiled and chopped very small, and throw them on top."
Source; The Good Housewife's Jewel, Thomas Dawson, 1595 edition With an introduction by Maggie Black [Southover Press:East Sussex] 1996 (p. 68)
Take to a leg of mutton four pound of beef-suet, bone the leg and cut it raw into small pieces, as also the suet, mince them together very fine, and being minc't season it with two pound of currants, two pound of raisins, two
pound of prunes, an ounce of caraway seed, an ounce of nutmegs, an ounce of pepper, an ounce of cloves, and mace, and six ounces of salt; stir up all together, fill the pies, and bake them as the former."
Source: The Accomplisth Cook, Robert May, facsimile 1685 edition [Prospect Books: Devon] 1994 (p. 232)
Season your Lamb with Salt, Pepper, Cloves, Mace and Nutmeg, all beat fine, to your Palate. Cut your Lamb, or Veal, into little Pieces, make a good Puff-paste Crust, lay it into your Dish, then lay in your Meat, strew on it some stoned Raisins and Currans clean washed, and some Sugar; then lay on it some Forced-meat Balls made sweet, and in the Summer some Artichoke-bottoms boiled, and scalded Grapes in the Winter. Boil Spanish Potatoes cut in Pieces, candied Citron, candied Orange, and Lemon-peel, and three or four large Blades of Mace; put Butter on the Top, close up your Pye, and bake it. Have ready against it comes out of the Oven a Caudle [thick drink] made thus: Take a Pint of White Wine, and mix in the Yolks of three Eggs, stir it well together over the Fire, one way, all the time till it is thick; then take it off, stir in Sugar enough to sweeten it, and squeeze in the Juice of a Lemon; pour it hot into your Pye, and close it up again. Send it hot to table."
Source: The Art of Cookery Made Plain & Easy, Hannah Glasse [London:1747] Chapter VIII, "Of Pies."
There are earlier references to ‘Cottage Pie’ than to ‘Shepherd’s Pie’. For example the diarist Reverend James Woodford recorded that he had eaten Cottage Pye for dinner in 1791, noting in his diary ‘Dinner today, Cottage-Pye and rost Beef' (although it is not clear precisely what this contained).
One of the earliest published precursors to Shepherd's Pie appeared in Maria Rundell's highly influential 1806 book, A New System of Domestic Cookery.
Ingredients
Instructions
Butter a deep dish or mould, and line it with potatoes mashed with milk or butter and seasoned with pepper and salt.
Fill it with slices of the lean cold mutton, or lamb, seasoned also. Cover the whole with more mashed potatoes. Put it into an oven, and bake it till the meat is thoroughly warmed, and the potatoes brown. Then carefully turn it out on a large dish; or you may, if more convenient, send it to table in the dish it was baked in."
Source; Directions for Cookery in Its Various Branches, Miss Leslie [Philadelphia:1849] (p. 111)
Cut the mutton and boiled potatoes into pieces about one inch square; put them in a deep pie or baking dish, add the stock or water, salt, pepper, and half the butter cut into small bits. The make the crust as follows: Pare and boil the potatoes, then mash them, add the cream, the remainder of the butter, salt and pepper, beat until light. Now add flour enough to make a soft dough--about one cupful. Roll it out into a sheet, make a hole in the centre of the crust, to allow the escape of steam. Bake in a moderate oven one hour, serve in the same dish."
1886 – Shepherd’s Pie - Mrs. Rorer's Philadelphia Cook Book, Mrs. Sarah Tyson Rorer (Philadephia: 1886 - p. 117)
Required: a pound and a half of cooked potatoes, half a pound to three-quarters of cold meat, seasoning and gravy as below. Cost, about 9d. The potatoes must be nicely cooked and mashed while hot. This should be seasoned and beaten until light with a wooden spoon. A pie dish should then be greased, and the potatoes put at the bottom, to form a layer from half to an inch in thickness. The meat should be made into a thick mince of the usual kind with stock or gravy...or it may be mixed with Onion Sauce, or any other which may be sent to table with meat. The nicer the mince, the nicer of course, will be the pie. The meat goes next and should be put in the centre of the bottom layer, leaving a little space all around.
Then drop the remainder of the potatoes on the top, beginning at the sides--this prevents the boiling out of the gravy when the meat begins to cook--go on until all the used, making the pie highest in the middle. Take a fork, and rough the surface all over, because it will brown better than if left smooth. For a plain dish, bake it for fifteen to twenty minutes.
Or it may be just sprinkled with melted dripping (a brush is used for this), or it may be coated with beaten egg, part of which may then be used in the mashed potatoes. As soon as the pie is hot through and brown, it should be served. There are many recipes for this pie, or variation of it, and in some, directions are given for putting the meat in the dish first, and all the potatoes on the top.
The plan above detailed will be found the better, because the meat being enveloped entirely in potatoes runs no risk of becoming hard, as it would do it exposed to the direct heat of the oven.
Any other cooked vegetables may be added to the above, but they should be placed between the meat and potatoes, both top and bottom. If a very savoury pie is desired, make the mince very moist, and allow longer time for baking.
The potatoes will absorb some of the gravy, and found tasty. In this case, the heat must not be fierce at starting, only at the end for the pie to brown well. For a richer pie, allow a larger proportion of meat. For a very cheap one, half a pound of meat will do for two pounds of potatoes."
Source; Cassell's New Universal Cookery Book, Lizzie Heritage [Cassell and Company:London] 1894 (p. 512-3)
Required: two pounds of meat, half-a-pint of canned tomatoes, half-a-pound of fried onions, salt and black pepper, and any herbs preferred, four pounds of potatoes, and some gravy. Cost, 1s. 6d. To 1s. 8d. First grease a deep baking dish with some of the melted fat from the tin. Boil or steam the potatoes, mash and season them ...and put them in an inch thick at the bottom and sides of the dish. Then put the onions all over the potato layer. Mince the meat, add the jelly from it, and the tomatoes, with a little more stock or plain gravy of any sort; pile this in the centre of the dish; put the remainder of the potatoes thickly on the top; rough the surface with a fork, and bake until well browned in a moderate oven about three-quarters of an hour. The potatoes will absorb some of the gravy and be very savoury. The dish is an excellent one, considering its small cost. If liked, some pork can be added, and apple sauce used instead of the tomatoes. Tinned ox-tails, ox cheek, kidney, & c., may take the place of the beef or mutton. Either will provide a hot, cheap meal in a short time."
Source; ibid (p. 533)
Cost
1s. 6d.
to 1s. 8d.
“The dish is an excellent one, considering its small cost.”
Cassell’s New Universal Cookery Book, 1894
1941 · The Savoy Hotel, London
It has been said that in Britain’s darkest hour there was one man who came up with a weapon of mass nutrition that was to defeat the Nazi’s and from which delivered a lesson for modern society in the global war against obesity.
In the Autumn of 1941 our island nation stood alone. Hitler had all but conquered Europe and the United States was yet to join the war. The Nazi strategy was a very simple one, to bring the Brits to their knees by starving them. With many of the supply ships being sunk in the Atlantic by the German U-boats, an estimated 500 thousand tons of food, much of it essential meats and wheat, was lost each month that went by, halving the amount of supplies reaching Britain. These difficult and dark times called for new thinking if Britain was to survive and defeat the Nazi’s.
In 1940, Winston Churchill had appointed Lord Woolton as Wartime minister of food. ‘Uncle Fred’ as his colleagues and the nation came to know him, was previously managing director of a successful retail chain. Under Churchill’s instruction and in a bid to find an answer to the nations food problems, Lord Woolton asked the ‘Chef de Cuisine’, Francis Latry, at London’s Savoy Hotel, to come up with a new and healthy recipe that would help feed the nation.
The resultant dish was known as ‘Woolton Pie’. A simple recipe styled on the Shepherd’s Pie, but with garden vegetable’s substituting the meat filling. This dish was a symbol of hope and was to literally re-shape the nation. According to the British Nutrition Foundation, at the end of the war the surviving population was physically healthier than it had been before the war.
Plate
Lord Woolton
Wartime Minister of Food, 1940
The recipe involved dicing and cooking various veg, potatoes (or parsnips), cauliflower, swede, carrots and possibly turnip. Rolled oats and chopped spring onions were added to the thickened vegetable water, which in turn was poured over the vegetables themselves. The dish was topped with a potato pastry and grated cheese and served with vegetable gravy. The recipe could be adapted to reflect the availability and seasonality of ingredients and quite often in the absence of available flour, a simple mash potato topping sufficed, giving resemblance to the Shepherd’s Pie. This recipe is based on the original Savoy Restaurant kitchen copy.
For the filling
For the ‘Potato Pastry’ topping
Method — the filling
Peel the potatoes and carrots, cut them into slices of the thickness of a penny.
Wash them well and dry in a tea-cloth. Fry them separately in a frying pan with a little chicken fat (or vegetable or butter if making for vegetarians). Do the same for the mushrooms, adding the finely chopped onions and leek.
Mix them together and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg and roughly chopped fresh parsley.
Fill a pie-dish with this mixture, placing the bundle of herbs in the middle. Moisten with a little water. Allow to cool.
Cover with a Potato pastry crust and bake in (a moderate) oven for 1½ hours, or until potato topping is sufficiently browned.
Method — the topping
Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water for 8–10 minutes or until just tender.
Drain well, then mash with the milk. Set aside to cool.
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter or margarine and rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the mashed potatoes to the rubbed-in mixture and mix together to form soft dough. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. Roll out and use as in the individual recipe.
Although the ingredients vary from dish to dish, the recipes throughout this book are very similar to cook, so to keep this simple, the cooking methods are outlined below for a classic Shepherd’s Pie. Using this format, you will be able to create any of my recipes, using the ingredients listed for each one.
My Website will also help you with cooking each recipe, the timings and even a COOK MODE to help create a perfect dish.
Once you have mastered one of the dishes, the rest will fall into place.
Method for The Filling
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C (Fan) 20 mins into the cooking time.
So, firstly, please wash your hands and then rinse your vegetables.
Finely dice the Onions, Leeks or Shallots. Add the Olive oil to a large deep pan over medium heat and then add the Onions, Leeks or Shallots, slowly cook for around 10 mins till translucent, continually stirring to avoid burning.
If using Onions, you can also choose to grate your onion and vegetables in with the meat, so that they melt into the overall mixture. If using this method, then sauté your meat first.
Diced any vegetables in the recipe, keeping them small for an even cook. If using baby Chantenay carrots, top and tail and par boil these for 5 mins to soften them slightly, before adding to the meat mixture.
Add the meat into the pan and sauté for about 20 mins until cooked through. Constantly stirring, make sure the mince is broken down into the smallest pieces, so you aren’t left with any balls of mince. Keep turning so the meat so the onions don’t burn. Season with half of the salt and pepper.
Stir in the carrots and other raw vegetables, add the garlic and herbs, cook for another few minutes.
Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mushroom ketchup of Hendersons relish, mix well.
Sprinkle the flour and mix in well, cook for 1 minute.
Add the meat stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced.
Stir in the beef and turn off the heat.
Transfer the beef to your preferred dish and top with the mashed potato, grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden.
As you will see there are many variations for the mash and this method isn’t exclusive to just a mash potato topping.
A standard Potato mash, includes butter, a little milk, Egg yolks, a pinch of Nutmeg, salt and pepper to season.
Many of my recipes have additional ingredients for the mash, to give the recipe it’s unique twist. Flavoured mash toppings include ingredients such as Onions, Leeks, spring onions, shallots and other vegetables, herbs and flavourings.
To a large pan add the potatoes, add cold water until the potatoes are covered and bring to a boil. Turn down to a low boil and cook for 20 minutes until tender.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and add back to the pan. Mash until smooth and add the butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside.
The Classic Shepherd’s Pie
Auntie Jean & Uncle Alan, the Ultimate family foodies!
England · Recipe No. 2
My Auntie Jean and Uncle Alan were the epitome of the family foodies. They loved to cook and even more so for their 6 boys and in turn their families also. Alan was always at family parties with his camera ready to snap family and friends enjoying mealtimes together. He loved his food and the Classic Shepherd’s Pie was a firm family favourite.
Method
To a large pan add the potatoes, add cold water until the potatoes are covered and bring to a boil. Turn down to a low boil and cook for 20 minutes until tender.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and add back to the pan. Mash until smooth and add the butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
For the filling:
Add vegetable oil to a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/2 of the beef. If the pan is too crowded, the meat will not brown, it will boil.
Season with half of the salt and pepper, sauté until browned. Remove and set aside, repeat with the other half of the beef.
To the drippings (add more oil if needed) add the onion, cook until softened. Stir in the carrots, garlic and thyme, cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, mix well. Sprinkle the flour and mix in well, cook for 1 minute.
Add the beef stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced.
Stir in the beef and turn off the heat.
Transfer the beef to your preferred dish and top with the mashed potato, grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden.
For the Filling
For the Mash
Drink of choice
For the traditional Shepherd’s Pie, the drink of choice for Auntie Jean and Uncle Alan has to be a traditional British Drink and none more so than a good old cup of Rosy Lea (Tea!).
Plate I
Sir Winston Churchill
May be Winston looking for a Shepherd’s Pie recipe!
England · Recipe No. 3
A very dear family friend, Nicholas Boy Gilling, whom we affectionately knew as ‘Uncle Nick’, held a position in Her Majesties Government working with Sir Winston Churchill. We often wondered what interactions he would have had with Mr Churchill and if they ever shared a Shepherd’s Pie together at ‘The Reform club’, where Uncle Nick used to frequent and where he treated us to a very grand evening out.
Coincidently, my wife’s great Aunt, Grace Spanner, had actually worked for Winston Churchill as one of his House keepers. She had fond memories of Winston wandering around his house in his Pyjamas, chatting to all the house staff.
https://chateauverchocq.com
The Recipe
“minced meat under a glorious cloud of Mash potato”
Churchill, of the dinners at Chateau Verchocq
For the Filling
For the Mash
Drink of choice
Winston Churchill’s ultimate favourite drink was Pol Roger Champagne. It has been said that he consumed an estimated 42,000 bottles in his lifetime. He also famously drank a weak whisky and soda (often using Johnnie Walker), Hine cognac, and vintage port.
On the Lamb
The crown jewel of lamb in Northern France is Agneau de Pré-Salé (Salt Marsh Lamb). Raised on the coastal pastures of the English Channel, this meat is renowned by chefs for its naturally tender texture, delicate sea-salt flavor, and subtle hints of wild iodine and flora. Availability: Like the Baie de Somme variety, these are seasonal. Available in artisanal butcher shops throughout the Normandy region (Manche department).
In honour of one of the most important men in the history of our planet, Sir Winston Churchill’s Shepherd’s Pie.