Is Shepards pie always lamb?

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SaltireAtheist@reddit

Nowadays, shepherd's pie = lamb, cottage pie = beef

I was told that the distinction is actually a more modern one, but typically that's how it works.

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NortonBurns@reddit

I grew up in the 60s in a big industrialised northern city. Shepherd's pie was always beef, even though the surrounding countryside was loaded with sheep farms.

Seems no-one made the logical connection back then.

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SnoopyLupus@reddit

Me too, honestly counties.

Mrs Beaton was the classic cookbook all the mums used, and the shepherds pie was beef.

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DescriptionVast5373@reddit

Wrong!!! Shepherds herd sheep NOT cattle

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I think it's specifically because Shepherds are equated with sheep (so really the pie should be made from mutton if you can find it) and the beef version gets the more generic name. Entirely prepared to be proved comprehensively wrong!

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

I'll look around, I'm not too positive I'll find any mutton, but thank you nonetheless! I can at least know to keep my eye out for it now

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Legal_Broccoli200@reddit

Mutton is hard to find nowadays, it's rarely sold, going straight to soups and pies. But it might be possible with effort. If not, lamb is fine of course.

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Scarred_fish@reddit

This is crazy to read as a Shetlander. We pretty much live on Mutton as it's the most plentiful and cheapest (essentially free for most of us) meat there is, on a par with fish.

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turingthecat@reddit

I live in Somerset, we are lousy with sheep, but if I want mutton (or goat) I either have to order online or go to the halal supermarket.
Makes no sense

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grunt1533894@reddit

There are definitely a few farms in Somerset that would have some mutton available from their farm shop, does depend on where you are though whether they're within a practical distance.

My farmer friends in Dorset sell mutton and hogget from theirs.

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Judge_Dreddful@reddit

I've only ever seen mutton for sale as an 'exotic' (read: extremely expensive) meat at farmers markets or for sale online. I honestly don't think I've ever seen it in a supermarket.

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Optimal-Grapefruit63@reddit

I went to uni with some girls from the Shetland islands..took me two years to understand a word they said :-)

But also. Probably the most beautiful part of the UK (and some of the nicest people!)

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NoPaleontologist7929@reddit

Growing up in Orkney, it was the most common for us too. I have kind of gone off it in my old age. Need to curry it or cook it in port. The exception is reisted mutton. Don't ask me why, because I don't know.

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Scarred_fish@reddit

Reestit mutton is the king of meats. Having tottie soup tomorrow actually.

But more importantly - cooking mutton in port? Tell me more! Sounds like a combination of two things I already enjoy greatly!

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NoPaleontologist7929@reddit

Lamb, Port & Cranberry Hotpot

Preparation : 35 min

Cooking : 7 h 00

Total : 7 h 35

Ingredients

1 tbsp sunflower oil

6 lamb chump chops about 750g

2 onions

125g button mushrooms sliced

2 tbsp flour

450ml lamb stock

125ml ruby port

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tbsp cranberry sauce

25g dried cranberries

Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the lamb and fry over a high heat until browned on both sides. Lift out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
Add the onion to the pan and fry, stirring for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, then gradually mix in the stock and port. Add the tomato purée, cranberry sauce and dried cranberries, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, stirring.
Put the pieces of lamb in the base of the slow cooker pot, pour over the hot sauce and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours until lamb is tender

I think the original recipe called for tatties on the top, but I am not a fan of tatties cooked in gravy. Gives them a weird metallic flavour (to me) link doesn't seem to work, but maybe if you searched the site?

lamb & port hotpot

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

Any butchers will do it no problem, especially Asian ones.

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shabbyboobdeboop@reddit

It's funny. Where in from (Cornwall) I grew up with mutton being available from pretty much every butcher. If you were poorer then you'd go for mutton. Everything changed when the commonwealth trade deal with New Zealand happened in the 90s and most lamb came to us. Farmers in the UK then found that exporting it to the EU would almost double their profit margins, goodbye cheap lamb...

I've lived in North London now for 20 years and I can get mutton from anywhere here. All halal and decent prices (considering the COL crisis)

Buying a joint and slow cooking it first in the oven and then chopping it up is the best, either that or buy minced mutton for around £8kg

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Next-Project-1450@reddit

It won't help the OP, but if it's any help to anyone else, I buy my mutton online using Gridiron, but there are quite a few others. It's sent chilled.

You can also get marrow bones and Oxtails, and all sorts of other things you can't get in most butchers anymore.

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Legal_Broccoli200@reddit

Thanks, I'll bookmark that!

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Next-Project-1450@reddit

You're welcome. Another reliable source is Indian/Pakistani butchers (I know some people won't like that idea).

I have one near me which has a brilliant butcher, and both fresh mutton and goat meat is freely available if you have time to queue - there's always a long queue. Their chicken breasts are also huge.

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CounterpaneNightmare@reddit

If you want authentic, British Shepherd's Pie, use lamb mince rather than mutton. We all use lamb mince, so it's authentic. Originally Shepherd's Pie might have been made with mutton but an authentic, current day Shepherd's Pie is made with lamb mince.

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Aid_Le_Sultan@reddit

I’d say an ‘authentic’ shepherds pie is made from the ground cold lamb left over from a weekend joint with the bone made into stock to enrich it. Totally different than making it with mince and I prefer it - ends up with a really rich taste and soft texture with a bit of caramelisation around the edges.

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Level_Ingenuity_1971@reddit

This is the way.

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Critical_Pin@reddit

This is the only way I make shepherds pie with left over roast lamb and gravy.

If I'm using fresh lamb mince I'd make a moussaka.

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loki_dd@reddit

This is the way.

You can also make lamb pie which is really tasty as long as you can get over the fact it isn't chicken or beef and therefore weird. Tastes lovely but it's just not right

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QuentinUK@reddit

It’s very difficult to find mutton because the price doesn’t justify the extra maturation time.

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Smuze13@reddit

Sheep herders.

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Thelakesman@reddit

So what do they call Rat pie 😉

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Too_Ton@reddit

Thanks for the tip. If I ever visit the UK I’ll make sure to order the cottage pie. I’m not a huge fan of lamb but American sherperd’s pie is usually not sheep as far as I know?

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MasticatedBrain@reddit

This is the answer.

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psycho-mouse@reddit

Also the fantastic Cumberland pie which uses (unsurprisingly) Cumberland sausage meat as the mince!

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RRC_driver@reddit

I thought Cumberland pie was cottage pie with a cheese topping with the mash?

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No_Raspberry_9084@reddit

I made it this other week. It has sliced potatoes on top put some beef dripping on to crisp up the potatoes.Still can't get it as good as my mam used to. Moussaka has tomatoes and layer of aubergine in. That's the one that has cheese on top.

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purrcthrowa@reddit

Never heard of this, but it sounds amazing.

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Phyllida_Poshtart@reddit

Aye me too tbh least that's what me nan told me

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LaraH39@reddit

I mean... What do you mean by modern? I'm Gen X and my great grandmother defined them thus.

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OriginalBrassMonkey@reddit

Add custard and cream and you have Rachel's trifle.

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Sea_Lingonberry7782@reddit

We put in whatever is to hand. It's called Putin Pie.

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Whole-Sundae-98@reddit

The clue is in the name. Shepherd's Pie has always has been made using Lamb since victorian times.

If you use minced beef instead, that is Cottage Pie.

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SnoopyLupus@reddit

That’s not true. Shepherds pie and cottage pie were the same thing, and more often beef back in the day. The distinction is relatively modern.

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Adebesi@reddit

So.... Cottages are made out of cows?

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Blackjack_Davy@reddit

No but shepherd's pie contains shepherds

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milly_nz@reddit

Yes.

If by “cottages” you mean cottage pies.

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folkkingdude@reddit

The implication would actually be that cottages rear cows…

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

Ah, that definitely makes sense!

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Mysterious_Second_84@reddit

Yes lamb cottage pie is the same but made with 🥩 beef

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adymck11@reddit

Lamb seems a bit icky to many North Americans. But it is great in stews and curry!

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Blackjack_Davy@reddit

Lamb is superior to beef. Roast lamb is to die for

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Blackjack_Davy@reddit

I was always served Shepherd's Pie as a kid and it was always minced beef. Go figure americans say

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leighb3ta@reddit

Yes, well it should be. Beef is called cottage pie

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KZedUK@reddit

technically yes… however yk not always, it just ain't that serious i think

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Strong_Building69@reddit

Yep, Shepard’s: lamb cottage: beef but sometimes one can be referred to the other but thats to use specifically

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Stuffedwithdates@reddit

There are a number of closely related recipes. Shepherd's pie. made with lamb or mutton (nobody makes it with mutton) cottage pie made with beef. Fish pie made with a mixture of you guessed it fish and two veggie versions Wotton pie and Cumberland pie . So yes Shepherd's pie is always lamb . but cottage pie is a well known and popular,(perhaps the most popular) variant.

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milly_nz@reddit

Load of bollox.

You’d never make fish pie the same way as a shepherd/cottage pie.

Fish pie uses a white sauce to bind the seafood. Which would never be used in a shepherd/cottage pie.

Completely different pies.

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Bubbly-Ad-2735@reddit

Aye, i'd never never cover a sheep in creamy white stuff. Sounds too Welsh to me.

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WhiteKnightAlpha@reddit

Fish pie made with a mixture of you guessed it fish

I've heard the fish variant called Fisherman's pie or,less commonly, Angler's pie.

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Bubbly-Ad-2735@reddit

Admirals pie if you slap some sweetcorn in it as well.

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PodcastPlusOne_James@reddit

What animal does a shepherd keep?

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Bubbly-Ad-2735@reddit

A dog.

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Content-External-473@reddit

My dad used to make shepherds pie with real shepherds

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Bubbly-Ad-2735@reddit

Wait...what did he do to the sheep? :/

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roughtext@reddit

It might sound a bit unholy but I tried a recipe that was a 50/50 mix of lamb and beef mince, called a Shepherds Cottage Pie and it was awesome

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

You can't say unholy and then proceed to announce the most holy sounding thing ever! Definitely putting this down for my next recipe after a plain shepards pie

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LoganMountStewart@reddit

Shepherd's pie with beef is called a cowherd's pie or - in America - a cowboy's pie

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weedywet@reddit

No. Cottage Pie.

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tunaman808@reddit

I've lived in America for 53 years and have never heard this. In the US and Canada, it's almost always called "shepherd's pie" and it's almost always made with beef. Yes, many of us know it's supposed to be "cottage pie". No, no one really cares.

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sixdeadlysins@reddit

Well what other animal would a she(e)pherd herd?

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Smuze13@reddit

Yes with a tad of fresh rosemary and a dash of anchovy sauce for the tang. Beef mince is for cottage pie.

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ohiomudslide@reddit

Yes. Unless it's not made correctly.

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trout_mask_replica@reddit

Best recipe I've ever found - a few extra steps but worth it. https://www.ballymaloe.ie/recipe/ballymaloe-shepherds-pie

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

Oh, thank you so very much!! I'm in need of recipes, definitely for sure gonna have a look at this one.

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frequentcheeselove@reddit

I made this using veggie mince the other day and tried to work out if I had made a vegetarian shepherd's pie or a vegetarian cottage pie. Much to think about

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

🤣 maybe it's deserving of its own veggie pie title! Farmers pie? Gardners pie?

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Whole-Shape7842@reddit

Shepherds pie is Lamb, Cottage pie is Beef, has been for the last sixty years. We used to mince the meat from left over cooked Sunday roast on the third day after roast.

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Professional_Sea4644@reddit

Use the stock from cooking the meet to cook the gravy mix it with the mash potato to

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

Oohhhh that...that sounds delicious ☺️🤤

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Professional_Sea4644@reddit

Use good gravy on both

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LongjumpingInvite752@reddit

I want to know how come its called a pie when its not made out of pastry?

My non British friends ask me this and I have no reasonable explanation.

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Shkrimtare@reddit

Because it's got a top on it, I suppose. It's made of potato not pastry, but it's still got a moist meat and veg filling and then a crispy top.

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

All I could think of was maybe the same reason some things are called salad but aren't the typical salad with greens and lettuce, like chicken/tuna salad, fruit salad, grape salad, those jello salads, etc. Maybe it used to meet the 'qualifications' of being a pie in some olden days? Or it kinda looks like a funny pot pie with meat filling if you squint your eyes

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PipBin@reddit

As far as I’ve always know shepherds pie is lamb/mutton (hence the name) and cottage pie is beef.

You can also have shepherdess pie which is vegetarian with lentils subbed for the meat.

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Shkrimtare@reddit

I've had a vegan version of cottage pie from Green Chef with lentils instead of mince and wild mushroom paste and red wine stock and stuff, and it was amazing. No kidding, it was better than any real shepherd's/cottage pie I'd had.

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

Ooooo okay, thank you very much! I never knew about the distinction between the two

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Muted_Criticism@reddit

Traditionally yes, but standards have slipped and it’s a bit of a free for all these days.

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Successful_Banana901@reddit

Good way to remember it, shepherd's pie =sheeptopped with mash fisherman's pie =fish topped with mash cottage pie = small stone houses topped with mash

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Psylaine@reddit

yes Shepards pie is always lamb, but Cottage pie is beef mince (ground beef). they are very very similar in everyway bar the taste of the meat. Try either, try both ...

Are you asking for a recipe?

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

Ah, thank you!!😊 I didn't directly ask for a recipe but I'm 100% open to receiving some haha, especially cause I'm always so worried about whether a recipe is actually any good or not, I've seen some with four or five star ratings and let me tell you, I felt robbed😅

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SorryContribution681@reddit

If you're doing it properly yes. If you're not, then use whatever you've got.

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Hope2_win@reddit

Shepherds look after sheep so , lamb or sheeps minced meat is called shepherds pie, , Beef mince is made into cottage pie .

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Garbanzififcation@reddit

You could also buy a leg of lamb and roast it. Then mince the leftovers (food processor works) and use that. The texture is a little different, but that is also arguably an 'authentic' use of a Sunday roast as using fresh mince.

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Nearly-Shat-A-Brick@reddit

Yes use beef and its cottage pie.

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Slight-Brush@reddit

Goat also makes an excellent goatherd pie - you may find it in a Caribbean shop.

This is a good rundown of different recipes: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/apr/19/the-perfect-shepherds-pie-recipe-felicity-cloake

This is my favourite vegetarian version but I swap half the lentils for a meat-free ground-meat substitute: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/recipe/vegan-cottage-pie

It’s really not as exciting as you think it’s going to be though; it’s disturbingly close to the type of Midwest hamburger casserole that might be topped with tater tots.

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Significant-Sun-3380@reddit (OP)

Thank you so very much for the recipes!! I've been in desperate need of one.

And I know it's basically just meat and potatoes with some veggies, but that calls my name so loudly XD exciting? Maybe not. Comfort food potential? Definitely sky rocketing

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Dogsafe@reddit

Comfort food potential?

Absolutely correct. Especially when it's cold out, it's like a nice warm hug.

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Llotrog@reddit

Until next time they test for equine DNA, like the food standards people did back in 2013...

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creamY-front@reddit

Yes it is..... Shepard's pie - Lamb, Cottage pie - Cod, Pork pie - Beef...... etc

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Lucky_Sentence_8845@reddit

Cottage pie is beef - don't know where you got cod from!

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enemyradar@reddit

They also said a pork pie is made with beef. So maybe not a reliable source.

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ThePsychicBunny@reddit

Coddage pie?

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RatMannen@reddit

If it's beef, that's cottage pie. Also yummy.

I'm not sure what an "authentic" one is though. Half the ingredients come from our colonialistic ventures.

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dabadabadabawho@reddit

Traditionally yes, Sheppard's pie is made with lamb, however most people I know just use beef.

With beef it's traditionally called cottage pie.

So yes and no!

If you told me you were making Sheppard's pie i would assume it was beef, but better impressed if it was lamb..

(I'm in Scotland)

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AtebYngNghymraeg@reddit

ShepHERD's pie. Why can so many people not spell such a simple word?

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Fantastic_Deer_3772@reddit

blame English for not being phonetic!

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BabaJosefsen@reddit

Yes. Shepard -> Shepherd = sheep herder = sheep.

Hence shepherd's pie.

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illarionds@reddit

Shepherd's pie is lamb - it's right there in the name!

Made with beef, it's Cottage Pie instead (still good, but inferior IMV).

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Timebandit60@reddit

So Shepard's tend sheep(lamb). It's it beef it's called cottage pie.

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Johnny_Vernacular@reddit

Growing up shepherds pie was always beef in our house, or any house I'd visit. I think the lamb/beef distinction is a modern idea. But maybe we were just poor?

Either way, there's no law about it.

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Johnny_Vernacular@reddit

The earliest reference to Shepherd's Pie doesn't specify which meat. (The earliest reference to Cottage Pie suggests veal)

A recipe for shepherd's pie published in Edinburgh in 1849 in The Practice of Cookery and Pastry specifies cooked meat of any kind, sliced rather than minced, covered with mashed potato and baked