More to cottage pie than meets the mouth

16/08/17

Cottage pie is an easy to make and much-loved dish dating back to the 18th century. The dish is popular during cooler autumn and winter months, and is a simple one pot dish that can serve a family, or large group of people. The combination of veg, potato and meat with rich, thick gravy sauce is delicious when eaten after a day spent enjoying the cold country air of winter, or after a long tiring day at home. The simple dish has an interesting history behind it, which you can share with your loved ones as you serve up your next pie!

What is cottage pie?

One of the common conversations around cottage pie is how it differentiates from shepherd’s pie. As the name suggests, shepherd’s pie contains lamb meat, whereas cottage pie as it is made nowadays contains beef and usually both meats come in mince form. The name ‘cottage’ was originally given to the pie when potatoes were first being introduced to the UK, and were made affordable for peasants. Many peasants who would eat this type of pie lived in cottages at the time – hence the creation of the name!

The name cottage pie was used around a century earlier than shepherd’s pie but both have been used interchangeably to describe almost the same dish. By topping the potato ‘lid’ of the pie with breadcrumbs, you’re actually turning it from a cottage pie into a Cumberland pie.

Global pie

For many years in Scotland, a cottage pie was traditionally made with pastry instead of potatoes, something we would recognise now as a meat and vegetable pie. When Britain ruled India, many Indian chefs would cook shepherd’s pie rather than cottage pie for their British military seniors as the cow is considered a sacred animal in many parts of the country. The dish was served up for tiffin, which was regarded as a light snack, even though the dish is mostly eaten as a full meal nowadays.

To follow our full cottage pie recipe and order your pot of JD Seasonings Cottage Pie, click here: https://jdseasonings.com/recipes/cottage-pie/