Ploughman’s Lunch

A ploughman’s lunch is one of the most classic and traditional British pub lunches you can have. Bread, cheese, meat and pickles arranged on a platter, and served with beer or cider: what’s not to love?

If you’ve never had a proper ploughman’s lunch, you’re in for a treat.

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This is a meal that seems effortless because it is effortless: it’s just a beautiful spread of delicious foods arranged on a board or a big plate. It’s a pub lunch you’ll find across Britain, and it’s the girl dinner poster child from more than a century ago.

What is a Ploughman’s Lunch?

A ploughman’s lunch is a traditional British meal built around cold, simple ingredients, originally meant to be a hearty, portable lunch for farm workers out in the fields. Today, it’s a pub classic, and every version is a little different, but the backbone is always the same, a good cheese, some bread, something pickled, and a bit of meat if you like.

It’s not really a recipe, but more of an assembly which is exactly why I love it for an easy weekend lunch, or when friends are coming over and I don’t want to be running in and out of the kitchen.

A Little History of the Ploughman’s Lunch

The name itself is much newer than most people assume. While beer, bread and cheese (think Welsh rarebit) have been staples of the British diet since antiquity, often served together in inns for centuries, the actual term “ploughman’s lunch” only entered use in the 1950s as a result of a campaign by the Milk Marketing Board to increase the consumption of cheese. And no, it’s not a plowman’s lunch–that’s something with which I’ll have to disagree with you.

The term “ploughman’s lunch” was first recorded in a 1957 edition of the Brewers’ Society’s Monthly Bulletin, and the meal rose rapidly in popularity through the 1970s, largely because pubs found it simple to prepare, required no cooking, and gave them a nice profit margin. EatingMeals + 2

So while it wears the image of something farmhands have eaten for centuries, the ploughman’s lunch as we know it today, is really more of a clever bit of marketing that turned into a beloved tradition. But when doesn’t a simple plate of good bread and butter with some ham, cheese and pickles not excite the tastebuds (it can’t just be me!)

(Source: Wikipedia, “Ploughman’s lunch”)

What Does a Traditional Ploughman’s Lunch Consist of?

Just think of the things that a British ploughman could pack to eat in the field–that’s what will be on the platter. While you can use all of the following items, you can leave off anything you don’t want or like. For me, that’s a pork pie. I had a cold pork pie as a child and have never touched them again. I also feel that with all the bits and bobs that go into a ploughman’s lunch, adding a heavy pork pie is a lot.

Cheddar cheese/Stilton cheese (or another British cheese like Red Leicester or Wensleydale), cut into a generous slab
Pickles, a proper jar of pickled onions (without sugar) or piccalilli
Chutney, something like a fruit chutney or Branston pickle, sweet and tangy against the cheese
Gherkins/Cornichons, unsweetened
Bread, crusty and fresh, or a good farmhouse loaf
Butter, good quality, salted, at room temperature
A hard boiled egg, halved or quartered
Ham/Gammon, a few good slices, thick cut if possible
Pork pie, it will be more difficult to find a pork pie in the US
Cucumber, sliced
Lettuce or a simple salad
An apple or pear, sliced just before serving (or dipped in lemon water so it doesn’t brown)

How to Assemble a Ploughman’s Lunch

Arrange everything on a large wooden board or a big platter, or make separate platters. I like to put the the pickles/piccalilli, chutney and gherkins tucked into little bowls or ramekins around the edges. Fan out the apple or pear slices, add the hard boiled egg, and have the bread and butter at the ready.

There’s no real cooking involved, just good ingredients, so buy the best cheese, bread and ham you can find, since it’s key to an enjoyable meal.

What to Serve with a Ploughman’s Platter

A proper ploughman’s lunch is meant to be enjoyed with a pint of beer or a good hard cider, the way you’d find it served in a British pub. Both cut through the richness of the cheese and butter beautifully.

Honestly, sitting outside with a board like this with a cold cider or beer is about as close as you can get to transporting yourself to a pub in the English countryside.

Give this a try next time you want something simple, satisfying and completely fuss free. I’d love to hear what you put on yours, so leave me a comment below and let me know your favorite additions.

Ploughman’s Lunch

A classic and traditional British lunch Serves 1

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

• Cheddar cheese and/or Blue Stilton (or other British cheese)
• pickles
• chutney
• gherkins/cornichons
• bread
• butter
• hard boiled egg
• ham/gammon
• pork pie
• cucumber
• lettuce/simple salad
• apple/pear

Special equipment: board or platter, cheese knives, small serving spoons, pickle forks (optional)

NOTE: amounts are not important, they are just given so there is an amount for nutrition information

Directions

Begin by placing the pickles, piccalilli and chutneys into small bowls or ramekins, and arrange on the board or platter. There’s no right or wrong way to make this meal.

Next add the rest of the items, arranging them so that they are visually pleasing (darks next to light foods, different textures near each other, etc.)

Serve with fresh, crusty bread or a rustic cottage loaf or brown country bread.

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